Reigning without an absolute majority, the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, expresses his confidence to re-approve the municipal budget and places some of that responsibility on the opposition, thinking “to move to another phase”.
“It would be a mistake by the opposition to block a budget for this mayor here. I really hope this doesn’t happen, so I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Carlos Moedas, who said: to “incorporate” the proposals of all the political forces that make up the College of Mayor and Aldermen of Lisbon.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the Social Democrat said that the opposition, namely PS, PCP, BE, Free and independent of Cidadãos por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), has the responsibility to “realize and accept That everyone who governs Lisbon is the PSD/CDS-PP team and underlined that this leadership has been done “in a very inclusive way” during the first year of his mandate, since taking office on October 18, 2021.
“We have managed to have a year in which we have approved many measures, including with the approval of the opposition itself,” praised the PSD mayor and emphasized the unanimous decision to continue with free public transport for residents under 23 and over 65.
However, the first year of the 2021-2025 term was, in his opinion, marked by “many blockages” for the PSD/CDS-PP leadership. Managing local government in a minority situation, he said, requires “effort from both sides”, from those in rule and from the opposition.
“The first year was very difficult for the opposition, because the opposition did not really want to digest and accept that I was the mayor. that ‘it is not the opposition that runs Lisbon’, but can make suggestions, make proposals, monitor and to guard.
Ahead of the challenge of the Lisbon municipal budget for 2023, Carlos Moedas will present on Thursday the free health plan for the most deprived over 65, a measure included in the current budget, with two million euros.
Despite stating that there is “room for consensus” and ruling out the possibility of by-elections, he felt that “it would be unthinkable” for the opposition to demand its own budget and explained that the 2023 document, as that of this year, will continue many projects coming from the previous executive, under the chairmanship of the PS, but also to add new proposals from the election program “Novos Tempos” (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/ PPM/Alianca).
Asked whether he expects the PS to again abstain from making the budget viable, the Social Democrat indicated that each political force will behave as it sees fit: “It would be excellent if other parties came together and for the budget would vote, but the most important thing is to make it viable”.
The municipal budget for 2022, which provides for a spending of 1.16 billion euros, slightly higher than last year (1.15 billion), was made possible with seven votes for the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, five abstentions. five votes against from the rest of the opposition, namely two from PCP, one from BE, one from Livre and one from the independently elected by the PS/Livre coalition.
As for the continuity of the team chosen by the “Novos Tempos” coalition to run the city, in particular the independent councilor Laurinda Alves, in charge of human and social rights and who was recently criticized for promoting a picnic and a walk/march to On the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Carlos Moedas expressed “complete confidence” in his ability and challenged the “partisanship”.
“We were talking about an initiative that has been around in Lisbon for many years, so it was a poverty eradication initiative that was carried out by the previous executive and that the councilor, well, persisted and there was a partisan […]. It seems to me in terribly bad taste that the opposition has used an initiative that they themselves have supported and that they are now suddenly turning against the councillor,” he noted.
As for his political future, the PSD mayor assured that he will serve his term until the end, without saying whether he plans to run for a second term, but states that the mayoralty is “something that is on the skin.” clings”, in the sense that it stands for what should be politics: proximity, to solve people’s problems.
“I live with great joy and I also live with great responsibility what it means to be mayor, so I really like it, I’m here to stay,” underlined the Social Democrat, for whom the question about future mandates “unforeseen” is. .
Without revealing whether he aspires to lead the PSD, the mayor of Lisbon expressed all his support and friendship to the current president of the party, Luís Montenegro, and praised the work he is developing, “showing the government what anticipation is, the ability to imagine and act”, among other things by being one of the first to propose a social emergency plan.
In the municipal councils of September 26, 2021, Carlos Moedas was elected mayor of Lisbon by the coalition “Novos Tempos”, which obtained 34.25% of the vote and took the municipality away from the PS, which led the head of the capital for 14 years . and who obtained 33.3% via the candidacy “Mais Lisboa” (PS/Livre).
Source: DN
