The mandate has barely begun and Moedas has already shown what he’s coming for. The first week is enough to realize that the mayor of Lisbon has chosen an authoritarian, opaque and deeply hostile path to democracy. Let’s start with the glaring one. The Firefighters, to whom we entrust our lives in the most fragile moments, go on strike because they do not have personal protective equipment, they work with reduced numbers, the vehicles and facilities do not have the slightest dignity. They do not require privileges – they require basic conditions. They want to be received by the president of the Chamber. It’s not a whim: it’s the least expected of those who lead the city.
Regarding Local Accommodation, an equally alarming situation. The new regulation has been under discussion since the previous mandate, but Moedas managed to stop the vote. Result: the suspension of new registrations ended and the door was opened for an uncontrolled run to the AL. The opposition asked for an immediate debate – Moedas and Chega refused. And now we understand why: the ratios for the “absolute containment” and “relative containment” zones are now double. In the middle of the housing crisis, with families forced to leave the city, rents that consume more than 80% of income, the president decides to fuel the problem. It’s not incompetence. It’s a political choice – the worst.
And now the scandal surrounding the proposed delegation of powers. The law is very clear: in the executive, out of 17 elected officials, everyone has the same legitimacy. The president’s vote only counts more in the event of a tie. Coins decided that this is not enough. With the support of the extreme right, he starts to decide alone, without even going to a council meeting, on budget changes, disposal of assets – including properties for residential use –, urban licensing with a relevant impact, school meals and structural social action measures. Brazen attempt to transform a collegial body into a one-man office, in clear violation of the scrutiny and plurality that Lisbon residents chose at the polls.
To ensure that no one questions him, Moedas approved this Wednesday, again with Chega, a proposed Rules of Procedure in which the president now decides exclusively what is discussed, reduces the intervention time of opposition councilors, even removing them from speaking when there is public participation, limits the number of amendment proposals that can be presented and restricts the period before the agenda (PAOD). Never before had we seen such an attack on the Chamber’s democratic functioning rules. It is a regiment to silence, control and seek to crush the opposition.
Plurality? Ignored. Transparency? Deleted. The right to exercise political opposition? Reduced to dust. Voters who didn’t vote Coins? Treated as unwanted noise. And all this with the argument of alleged “modernization” and effectiveness…
By acting like a Sun King who overshadows democracy, Moedas disrespects the plurality that should be wealth and not an obstacle. And, above all, it disrespects the city’s own democratic model of governance. Put Chega in your pocket and remove those who monitor, scrutinize and question. And he chose to do it right at the beginning, in the hope that the shock would pass quickly.
It is worth remembering the obvious: the executive is not Moedas and his circle. There are 17 elected executives. And every time the president tries to govern alone, it is not the opposition that disrespects him – it is the city, which will not remain silent. This will give bad results, so don’t victimize yourself.
Director of the Political Association Citizens for Lisbon