An extraordinary meeting will be held by the Lisbon City Council on Monday to address the tragic elevator accident, with discussions on support measures for victims and their families, as well as determining the causes and responsibilities.
This meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Monday at the Paços do Concelho in Lisbon and is expected to be private, attended by the entire municipal executive under the presidency of social-democrat Carlos Moedas, who governs without an absolute majority.
Operated by the municipal company Carris, wholly owned by the Lisbon City Council, the Glória elevator derailed on Wednesday, resulting in 16 deaths and over 20 injuries.
Inquiries to the mayor’s office regarding the measures to be discussed and the potential participation of the Carris president in the meeting have not yet received a response.
On Thursday, when announcing this extraordinary meeting, Carlos Moedas stated that he demanded Carris conduct “an independent external investigation” alongside the ongoing internal inquiry to ascertain the accident’s responsibilities.
Immediately after the accident, the PSD mayor ordered the suspension of operations of the Bica and Lavra elevators and the Graça funicular for inspections.
While not requesting resignations, opposition councilors from PS, PCP, BE, Livre, and Cidadãos Por Lisboa emphasized the need to determine the causes and responsibilities of the accident to restore public trust, noting that Carlos Moedas “is the ultimate political authority” overseeing Carris.
Outside the executive, Chega municipal deputy and Lisbon mayoral candidate Bruno Mascarenhas announced the submission of a motion of censure against the Lisbon city government, demanding accountability for the Glória elevator accident.
In the extraordinary meeting, the PS council will propose measures to promptly and transparently address the tragedy, including the establishment of a municipal support office for victims and the creation of a memorial at Calçada da Glória.
Additional proposals from the PS include forming an external audit committee, with university involvement, to “assess the compliance with contractual obligations, service inspections, and maintenance standards of Lisbon’s elevators and funiculars.”
The PCP plans to use the meeting to review municipal measures for supporting victims and families and expedite the accident’s cause and responsibility assessment, particularly regarding maintenance management, “currently outsourced incorrectly.”
“All known information about the accident’s causes must be shared, even if no conclusion has been reached yet,” state the communists, suggesting a swift review of procedures to restart the Glória elevator operation and proposing a working group for the study of equipment modernization and safety with the collaboration of the National Civil Engineering Laboratory.
The BE emphasizes the city’s responsibility to the accident victims and all Carris users.
“Political responsibility lies with Carlos Moedas, as the Lisbon City Council president who appointed Carris’s administration and approved its actions,” states the BE, seeking “comprehensive clarifications.”
Livred aims for a consensus among all political forces in the city council to pass a motion of condolence, focusing on victim and family support, identifying current and future needs.
“Obtaining answers about the immediate accident causes is crucial. These must come from one or more independent technical investigations. Only then can we draw the inevitable legal, political, and civil conclusions in due course,” it addends.
Cidadãos Por Lisboa emphasizes the necessity to “fully clarify causes, determine responsibilities, and act,” asserting that “until then, it’s important to keep other elevators inactive.”
“It is crucial to consider the warnings from Carris workers and reflect on strengthening internal maintenance capacity,” the CPL notes, highlighting the current usage/load of the Glória elevator, “which may be excessive for the installed structure.”
