Estela Silva / Lusa
The President of Lisbon City Council, Carlos Moedas
Proposal to support parents who cannot find a place in public daycare centers came from Chega and is in the Lisbon Budget. Chega himself admits that “it is not so explicit in the text”, but guarantees: the proposal will only be for families of Portuguese nationality. Leitão admits constitutionality problem.
Chega announced, bluntly, that in 2026 it wants to see people linked to Chega in positions in municipal companies, especially in key sectors: housing, daycare, sport and “women’s defense”.
The announcement was made by the councilor Bruno Mascarenhas and arises in a context of fragility for the president of Lisbon City Council Carlos Moedas: without an absolute majority, Moedas has depended on specific understandings to make structuring measures viable.
In recent months, the executive supported by PSD, CDS and IL counted on the votes of Chega to approve relevant dossiers, such as the local accommodation regulations and the municipal budget. The voting pattern fueled opposition suspicions that there would be counterparts, namely in the form of appointments, a hypothesis that the mayor did not fully clarify, warns the .
Still, there is already a signal, explains the newspaper. At the beginning of the month, Coins named Mafalda Guerraa Chega activist, as member of the municipality’s Social Services Administration Council, justifying the choice based on “competence” criteria. The appointment, although formally framed in the appointment rules, can be interpreted as the first step of an approach strategyor at least as proof that the influence of André Ventura’s party can go beyond voting in a chamber meeting.
Bruno Mascarenhas argues that this ambition to occupy places does not contradict Chega’s national discourse against the “tachos”. The objective is to guarantee political execution: if the party wants to see certain measures applied, he argues, it makes sense to have representatives aligned with its “ideas” in positions where decisions are operationalized.
“Chega is not looking for pots. We are concerned about having our policies being applied, and if our people defend them in their own places, that’s better. It won’t be people from the PSD, PS or PCP who apply Chega’s policies, we don’t trust them to fully implement them”, said Mascarenhas.
Among the concrete examples is the Gebalisa municipal company responsible for managing municipal neighborhoods. Mascarenhas points out the name of Luis Alvesthird on the list of Chega as local authorities for the CML, as someone the party should “suggest” to join the structure.
But there is more behind the “curtain” of places.
A very controversial proposal
According to Mascarenhas, the feasibility of Lisbon’s budget for next year implied the inclusion of four Chega measures in the Grandes Options of the 2026-2030 Plan (GOP). Among them, the party highlights the possibility of municipal tenants purchasing housing; the construction of a “sports city” in Parque Papa Francisco; the transformation of a building in São Domingos de Benfica into a police station dedicated to victims of domestic violence and a support for parents who cannot find a place in public daycare centers.
It is precisely this last proposal that has become the focus of the controversy.
Mascarenhas states that, although the wording in the document is more generic, the The proposal will only be for families of Portuguese nationality.
“It is not so explicit in the text, but I was careful to explain what I intended in the budget discussion”says the councilor about the formulation that seeks to “support Lisbon families in joining the Feliz Creche Program”.
Confronted by , Moedas limited himself to saying that “the law will be complied with” and denied there was an understanding with Chega.
On the left, criticism did not take long to reach the mayor. For the PS, this is a possible constitutionality problem and for BE and PCP, it is also a political and moral test for the municipal executive.
Alexandra Leitão, jurist, PS councilor and opponent of Moedas in the last municipal elections, warns that a municipal regulation that refused support based on nationality would be unconstitutional.
“For someone who ran a campaign based on the fallacious dichotomy between moderates and radicals, how do you govern so shamelessly with Chega?”, asks the socialist.
BE put forward a request asking for clarification.
“So far we have not heard a single word from Carlos Moedas, it is necessary to explain. [como o Chega pretende] and xenophobic, racist and violates any democratic principle”, accuses the Bloc councilor, Carolina Serrão.
“What is written in the GOP does not have this discriminatory nature. If there is a cat hiding with its tail outCarlos Moedas will have to explain it”, warns the PCP, in the voice of Ana Jara.
Arrive also leave a warning to Moedas
On Chega’s side, the message includes a clear warning. Mascarenhas insists that, even without a “formal agreement”, there was “negotiation” and that the party voted in favor of a budget with points it disagrees with to make its measures viable. The counterpart, it is understood, is execution.
“We gave a vote of confidence and we are in good faith. We voted for a budget that has things we did not agree with so that our measures could pass. “If things don’t happen, next year we will have another position”newspaper.
