Moedas sums up his two years in Lisbon with the verb “to do,” but the PS accuses him of being “passive.”

Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas (PSD) said on Tuesday that his two years in office are limited to the verb “to do” with the “local social state”, while the SPS accuses him of being “passive” on fundamental issues. .

“We have done it and we will continue to do it,” the mayor said at a meeting of the Lisbon Municipal Assembly, where he presented the work of the municipal executive during the last quarter, from June to August, taking advantage of a two-year buffer in office.

In a week, September 26, it will be two years since the 2021 local elections, in which the Novos Tempos coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Alliance) managed to win the presidency of the Lisbon Chamber, transferring the city government to the PS.

“In these two years, we have really done what we have always called the social state: we have introduced a complement to the central states, increasingly fragile, increasingly less able to respond, we have done it at the local level,” said Carlos Moedas. .

The Social Democrat highlighted the Lisbon 65+ health insurance plan, which 12,000 Lisbon residents have signed up for, as well as the free public transport for people under 23 and over 65, already used by 90,000 people in Lisbon. .

“We, of course, made Lisbon World Youth Day. We have never had an event of this nature and this scale,” the mayor emphasized, pointing out that the event was attended by 500 million families around the world and was supported by 1.5 million participants. People.

Carlos Moedas also praised the work to support homeless people, criticizing the “political lies” about clean-up drives during World Youth Day (WYD).

The strengthening of the Social Emergency Fund, the creation of “Kabaz Bebe” and investments in housing were also highlighted, with the signing of 560 million euros for the area and the delivery of more than 1,300 keys, noting that: “What was worth for was very little, so we had to speed up.”

The PSP mayor also highlighted investments in urban planning, including the Quinta do Ferro and Casal do Pinto projects, as well as the reduction in project approval time; in the field of culture – the program “Um Teatro em Cada Bairro”; in the area of ​​mobility: increasing the number of Gira bicycles, which are now free for those with a pass, and testing new bike paths in the city; implementation of the Drainage Master Plan; strengthening urban hygiene; replacing lamps with LED ones; Unicorn Factory; creation of a transparency and anti-corruption department; and reducing taxes payable by citizens.

Governing without an absolute majority, Carlos Moedas said the process of preparing the 2024 municipal budget had already begun and declared: “I need everyone’s help.”

The mayor’s speech was welcomed by municipal deputies belonging to the Novos Tempos coalition (SDP/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Alliance).

In opposition, PS deputy Miguel Teixeira noted in connection with the gratitude for the WYD the mayor’s “sudden oblivion” of José Sa Fernandes and the mission team he led on behalf of the government, and also criticized the Social Democrat for the way he “tried to benefit from everyone assets of this great organization,” forgetting that the project began with a socialist mandate.

“We had the opportunity to witness the miracle of the conversion of the Mayor of Lisbon into the person of His Eminence Pope Francis. Assess his omnipresence in the media throughout Lisbon for the country, scoring more points in the internal struggle. for leading his party SDP,” the PS deputy criticized.

The socialist stressed that Lisbon “needs much more” since the “New Times” were announced, but “in the end, it is obvious that the city has entered a time of passivity, of stopping on fundamental issues.”