Moedas voted against the PCP's motion to use state-owned properties for public housing

The sale of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers building in Campo de Ourique was used in the CNN debate by CDU candidate João Ferreira and Viver Lisboa coalition candidate Alexandra Leitão to accuse Carlos Moedas of lacking "political clout" as mayor of Lisbon. Moedas countered by asserting that he was unaware of the government's intention, reported last week, to transfer the property to Estamo for private sale and, with the proceeds, invest in public housing. But he went further: he asserted that he had, in the meantime, written letters to the government about these sales. What remained unsaid was that, in May, the PSD and CDS voted against a recommendation by the PCP-elected councilors calling for the building to be used for public housing.

In the text to which VISÃO had access, João Ferreira and Ana Jara propose that the Lisbon City Council urge the Government to “transfer the real estate assets capable of being renovated into housing to the Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU), and the remainder to the appropriate government bodies, for their mobilization in the most appropriate way”.

The motion concerned not only the building of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, located in Campo de Ourique, but also that of the Ministry of Education, on Avenida 24 de Julho, both vacant and in areas with a serious lack of affordable housing.

According to the motion, the building of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, located on Rua Professor Gomes Teixeira, has “conditions for rehabilitation for housing purposes, and could be mobilized to respond to the recognized crisis of access to the constitutional right to housing” and the properties of the Ministry of Education facilities located on Avenida 24 de Julho, “due to their typology and proximity to public transportation, could be rehabilitated to respond to the recognized lack of university residences”.

Furthermore, the Communists' text aimed to have the City Council ask the Government to analyze the state-owned properties left vacant by the ministries' move to Campus XXI, next to the Caixa Geral de Depósitos headquarters on Avenida João XXI. According to the PCP councilors, this analysis could result in other properties, "due to their unique typology and architectural expression," being able to house "important associations in the social, cultural, and sports sectors whose existence is at risk due to the precariousness of rental conditions and growing speculation on rental values."

In addition to this survey and the transfer of the properties to the IHRU, the communists intended to ask the Government to “trigger the necessary procedures with a view to launching the rehabilitation operations of the buildings in order to adequately respond to the defined functions”.

The proposal was approved, with votes against from the PSD and CDS.