“Politics, for me, is not a field of permanent confrontation. It is a space of dialogue and collective construction. It is with this spirit that I want to continue to govern, with openness, listening, and respect for differences, but always with the courage to decide,” stated Ricardo Leão during the swearing-in ceremony for the elected members of the Municipal Assembly and City Council.
In the presence of PS secretary-general José Luís Carneiro, the re-elected socialist mayor, with an absolute majority, emphasized that housing, which was a contentious issue during the previous term, will be a priority but with “uncompromising stands against illegal occupations and shanty constructions.”
“Let it be clear to all. We do not and will not condone illegal occupations and subleasing of municipal housing units. We will remain steadfast in not allowing new shanty constructions in our municipality,” he assured.
However, the socialist mayor noted that the municipality will continue to build social housing to address waiting lists, as well as housing for the middle class and young people in the council, through partnerships with private entities and cooperatives.
In this context, Ricardo Leão announced the doubling of the municipal support program for the middle class and young people in paying rent and bank installments, increasing from one million to two million euros.
“Approximately 800 families already benefit from this support, and I commit that during this term, we will double this support to two million euros, in order to support 1,500 families from our middle class and young people in our council,” he stated.
The mayor also highlighted that approximately two thousand homes in illegal urban areas were legalized during the previous term and promised to maintain the effort in regularization.
In the area of security, Ricardo Leão announced that the municipality will soon launch a public tender for the installation of 240 surveillance cameras in various areas of the council, representing an investment of over five million euros.
“This absolute majority does not change my stance at all. I will continue to analyze and vote on opposition proposals based not on who proposes them, but on what they can or cannot signify for the well-being of our population’s quality of life. People are ahead of any political tactic or electoral strategy,” he concluded.
Ricardo Leão was re-elected for a second term after winning an absolute majority in the municipal elections on October 12 in the municipality of Loures (Lisbon district), obtaining 43.83% of the votes and electing six councilors.
The second most voted party was Chega, with 20.67% of the votes (two elected), followed by the PSD/CDS-PP coalition with 14.86% (two elected), and CDU (PCP/PEV) with 10.97% (one elected).
About a year ago, Ricardo Leão faced controversy for advocating the eviction “without mercy,” of tenants in municipal housing involved in the disturbances in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area in October 2024.
This episode led several PS members, including former Prime Minister António Costa, to criticize his political stance.
Following these criticisms, the socialist mayor resigned from the leadership of the Lisbon Urban Area Federation of the PS.
More recently, Ricardo Leão was again in the media spotlight due to the demolition of precarious constructions in the Bairro do Talude.
