“I believe we must learn. The Portuguese state needs to stop improvising and reacting excessively; it needs to start thinking, planning, and organizing better to prevent these accidents,” said Gouveia e Melo.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ‘Conversas com o Presidente’ event, organized by the Fundação AEP in Porto, the presidential candidate emphasized that political responsibility always exists, directly or indirectly, and it is necessary to exercise caution when holding specific political actors accountable at particular moments in time.
“Why do I say this? Because the failure of that system, from what I read in the initial report, is a systemic engineering design failure, and this has been the case for a long time,” he pointed out.
Therefore, drawing premature conclusions should be avoided, he argued.
“I would never publicly condemn people with hasty conclusions,” he stressed.
Asked about the statements of the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, who criticized “the politicization” of the Gloria elevator derailment, Henrique Gouveia e Melo chose not to comment, as it is a political issue he does not wish to engage in.
“For me, it’s about political party struggles, and I don’t want to get involved, especially since there will soon be public scrutiny and municipal elections,” he noted.
Following this, the presidential candidate reiterated that according to the initial report, what occurred was a systemic failure that is not from the last two, three, or five years.
“It is a problem from 10, 20, 30 years ago. So, where is the blame? The blame lies in our inability to deeply reflect on safety aspects in a planned manner,” he highlighted.
Gouveia e Melo emphasized that he entered politics to discuss ideologies and unite the Portuguese, which is why he wants to be “a politician and not a political schemer.”
The Gloria elevator in Lisbon derailed on Wednesday, resulting in 16 deaths and injuring two dozen people, including both Portuguese and foreigners of various nationalities.
Among the deceased were five Portuguese, two South Koreans, one Swiss, three British, two Canadians, one Ukrainian, one American, and one French national.
In response to the accident, the Government declared a national day of mourning, and the Lisbon City Hall announced three days of municipal mourning.
The Gloria elevator is operated by Carris, connecting Restauradores to the Jardim de São Pedro de Alcântara in Bairro Alto, along a route of about 265 meters, and is highly popular among tourists.
