Alexandra Leitão: “Tourism is fundamental for Lisbon”

What good decisions for the city do you see during Carlos Moedas' term? The problem with Carlos Moedas’ government is the lack of decision-making and execution; it is not enough to communicate well. There were announcements and speeches, but the city remained stagnant and delayed. It had the largest budgets ever and did not know how to use them. Let me give you some examples. Lisbon is among the 10 cities that have lost the most positions in the Global Liveability Index; it is in second-to-last place in the European ranking of urban mobility for children, and has fallen to 115th place in the Smart City Index, dropping 40 places in five years. And we do not need to resort to rankings; we just need to listen to the people. Just this week, the Citizens’ Platform was launched, formed by 17 associations and movements of residents and citizens who believe that Lisbon has become aggressive towards its inhabitants. They also complain about the noise, dirt, degradation and vandalism of public spaces.

What have the Lisbon residents you've spoken to told you? They tell me that they have lost their patience. They are tired of promises that never come to fruition. They talk to me about the accumulated rubbish, the potholes in the streets, the poor state of conservation of public spaces, the unaffordable rents, the deterioration of school buildings (the council has not mobilised a single penny of the PRR to modernise schools, unlike several local authorities that are already inaugurating such works), the lack of response for the elderly, the slowness of transport, the lack of security. In the municipal neighbourhoods, they complain about the deterioration of buildings, the broken lifts (the elderly are trapped on their floors because they cannot go up and down the stairs), and the exclusion. Another observation they have made, and which I have already witnessed, has to do with the impact of some excesses committed at night, motivated by the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption in public spaces, which often result in noise, lack of hygiene and even insecurity, with great harm to the lives of residents. Lisbon deserves a vibrant nightlife, but not at the expense of the quality of life of Lisbon residents. If I am elected Mayor of Lisbon, we will ban the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption in public spaces after a certain time, and strictly regulate and monitor the city's nightlife. And they say they want a city that listens to their needs and that works, that regains the dynamism and ambition it once had.

Improving the quality of life is certainly an ambition. There are no more affordable homes, and those that are available are generally of poor quality. How can this be resolved in a legislative term? We need to build and renovate more affordable housing properties, using, for example, modular constructions, which are cheaper and quicker to build. This means renovating municipal buildings that are vacant or have other uses and transforming them into affordable housing. Carlos Moedas has blocked the projects he inherited and wasted resources, as are the Restelo, Benfica and Parque das Nações PRAs. The council should also exercise its right of preference more often to acquire properties to put on the market at affordable prices. A lot can be done in four years if there is a will to do so. Lisbon is currently a city that has been put on hold.

Lisbon has recorded negative net results in the last two years, with a loss of almost 10 million euros in 2024. What concrete measures do you propose to reverse this trend and ensure the financial sustainability of the municipality? Financial sustainability requires rigor, but also strategy. The city council has lost its ability to attract investment and has become distracted by advertising and isolated projects. We will review our priorities, cut unnecessary spending (for example, on municipal advertising) and invest in projects that generate value for the city, with planning and vision.

How do you intend to reduce dependence on volatile revenues and avoid recurring recourse to loans, which increase the chamber's liabilities? We will seek to invest in the organic reorganization of the municipality and the municipal business sector – Carlos Moedas did nothing in this regard – ensuring gains in scale and efficiency that protect the municipality from unfavorable economic cycles, with a prudent financial policy. We need to strengthen the municipality's asset management, geared towards housing policies, and ensure financial planning that avoids systematic recourse to debt.

Given the €52 million increase in debt and €120 million in liabilities in 2024, what are the plans to control municipal debt? Public investment will be made with criteria and planning, with responsibility. Not according to media cycles, but rather aligned with a medium and long-term plan, allowing for better financing conditions. We will evaluate contracts, renegotiate when necessary and ensure that every euro invested effectively improves the lives of Lisbon residents, including in municipal companies. Carlos Moedas' budget results are very worrying, they reveal a lack of control, without it being clear what the money was spent on. Where is the improvement in the quality of life of Lisbon residents? On the contrary, the quality of life in the city has worsened.

Are you going to review fiscal policy? Municipal fiscal policy must be assessed in a balanced manner, taking into account social justice, the attractiveness of the city and financial sustainability in the medium and long term. Fiscal policy at local level must be considered as a whole. We will promote this approach in a balanced and dialogued manner.

Lisbon currently ranks 39th in the Mercer quality of life rankings, behind cities such as Vienna, Zurich and Munich, but ahead of Paris, London and Madrid. What indicators do you consider to be priorities for improving Lisbon's position in these international rankings? Affordable housing, efficient mobility, clean and safe public spaces, local services and a diverse culture available to all, local security. Lisbon needs a coherent urban policy, focused on people. Lisbon needs a city in every neighborhood.

The city is considered one of the safest in Southern Europe, but it faces challenges such as traffic congestion and limited airport infrastructure. What proposals do you have to overcome these negative aspects and bring Lisbon closer to the leading European cities? In terms of mobility: more public transport, more bus lanes, more and better interfaces and fast corridors, as well as modern traffic lights using artificial intelligence (just yesterday I visited Carris and was told that the current traffic lights do not allow for greater fluidity of traffic). We will implement free public transport for residents; a measure with a direct impact on mobility and also on family budgets. As for the airport, it is essential that the current one has the least possible impact on the lives of Lisbon residents, in terms of noise and pollution. It is urgent to start preparing for the future: the airport land can be the basis of a new city, designed with a focus on affordable housing for families, with green spaces and collective facilities.

The housing crisis is one of the city's main problems. What solutions do you have to make housing more affordable without compromising the city's financial sustainability? Rehabilitating public assets, acquiring properties for affordable rental, for example by exercising the right of preference more often (but not only), building public housing, also using modular construction, relaunching affordable rental programs and rental support. It is possible to do all of this with European, State and local authority funding – all you need to do is execute it. Under Carlos Moedas' management, structural projects for Lisbon that were already prepared did not get off the ground and the foundations for other projects were not laid. For example, the process of reviewing the Municipal Master Plan, which should have been reviewed in 2022, has not even begun.

Lisbon has been considered one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. What concrete measures do you propose to reverse this trend without compromising the city's economic development? Public housing, regulation of local accommodation, incentives for long-term rentals, and curbing speculation. At the same time, support for families with rent, transport and basic services, as well as more public or private partnerships with nurseries and kindergartens and social welfare institutions. The cost of living cannot be reduced with speeches, but with concrete policies.

Lisbon and Portugal continue to be criticized for excessive bureaucracy, which limits competitiveness, delays investments and complicates the lives of people and companies. What should be done? Simplification of processes, digitalization of services, transparency in deadlines and creation of a structure dedicated to streamlining licensing, especially in the area of ​​housing and economic activity. The previous Executive started the process of dematerializing urban management, but Carlos Moedas' Executive did not move forward. City governance, which includes administrative simplification, will certainly be one of the points of our program. We want a city where processes are fast, predictable and accessible to all, with the use of artificial intelligence.

Urban security has been highlighted as a strong point in Lisbon. What measures do you propose to improve security? Do you think it is necessary or is there a lot of demagogy on this subject? Security is a priority. I cannot support the alarmist rhetoric of those who prefer to ignore the evidence and the figures, but I have often said that, given the increase in the perception of insecurity among Lisbon residents, this increase in itself deserves our attention and the adoption of concrete measures. We will do everything we can to increase the number of Municipal Police officers, reinforce community policing, improve public lighting, install video surveillance cameras and invest in vulnerable neighbourhoods with integrated social and urban policies. Carlos Moedas talks a lot about security, but does not act: the number of Municipal Police officers is at its lowest level in recent years (412), the LED lights promised in the election campaign do not exist and of the 216 video surveillance cameras that the previous Executive left licensed, four years later, 64 have been installed.

Road congestion and the provision of public transport are areas for improvement. What investments or reforms do you consider to be priorities? Reinforcing the Carris fleet, expanding the network and timetables, creating deterrent parks, BUS corridors, more interfaces and investments coordinated with the metropolitan area, for example, improving the connection between Carris and Carris metropolitana. We have concrete and realistic proposals in this regard. In these four years, the focus has been almost exclusively on private cars, to the great detriment of the environment and the climate transition.

Lisbon leads national complaints regarding the lack of garbage collection and urban cleaning…. More collection teams, corporate management of the system (while maintaining the public service), modernise the cleaning system and improve coordination with the Parish Councils. I would like to say a few words to the urban hygiene workers, who do an excellent job, but the municipality needs to manage it better. Ensuring the city is clean is a fundamental task, and Carlos Moedas has failed repeatedly and completely.

Business owners generally fear that it will be too far to the left. Will it, for example, further restrict local accommodation? The problem is the excess of AL, many of them illegal, and the lack of rules. I am not against AL, I am against the lack of control. We will regulate, monitor and limit it in critical areas. Those who invest with rules have nothing to fear. What we want is a city to live in, not just to visit. Tourism is a fundamental economic activity for the city, but we need to improve the quality of tourism, decentralize its location and ensure that it does not compromise, in an intolerable way, the quality of life of Lisbon residents. Businesspeople have nothing to fear; on the contrary, they will also benefit from a city with strategic planning.