In a private meeting of the municipal executive, the proposal, presented by the PS, was approved by a majority, with the abstention of the PSD/CDS-PP leadership (which governs without an absolute majority), which also presented an initiative with the same purpose, but which ended up being discarded by the opposition, a source from the council informed Lusa.

In addition to the proponents, the councillors from PCP, BE, Livre and Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) voted in favour of the PS proposal, and it now has to be submitted to the Municipal Assembly.

“As our proposal was rejected, we abstained from voting on the PS proposal because it achieves the same objective: suspension for a further six months to complete the change to the regulations”, said the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, in response to Lusa, noting that the justification for the two initiatives is different.

The extension of the “immediate suspension” of the authorization of new registrations of local accommodation establishments (AL), “for a new period of six months”, follows the proposal approved on October 30, 2024, unanimously, also at the initiative of the PS.

This suspension, “until the amendment to the Municipal Regulation for Local Accommodation comes into force”, aims to nullify the effects of the new legal regime for AL decided by the PSD/CDS-PP Government, indicated the PS council, in a statement.

“In Lisbon, the entry into force of the new legislation would have dramatic consequences, such as a rush to obtain licenses and the subsequent loss of homes in the traditional rental market,” the socialists explained.

With the extension of the suspension of new licenses, “Lisbon safeguards the lifting of the ban on new AL in 20 of its 24 parishes, until the new Municipal AL Regulation comes into force”, highlighted the PS.

One of the conditions for the application of the measure is that the municipality, as a whole, presents an index “equal to or greater than 5%”, which is currently the case, with the municipality registering an index of 7.2%.

Furthermore, it applies in parishes where there is a relationship between the number of AL establishments and the number of existing housing units “equal to or greater than 2.5%”.

The PSD/CDS-PP proposal suggested the same criteria for applying the suspension of new licenses, but the opposition raised questions of “legal certainty”, and approved, alternatively, the PS proposal.

In a statement, the PS highlighted the “political somersault” of the mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), recalling that in October 2024 he voted, for the first time, in favor of a measure to contain AL, and today he also chose to make the measure viable, but before, throughout his term, he was “always consistently in favor of the liberalization of AL, having voted against the suspension of new licenses in 11 parishes of the city in 2021”.

The socialists also say that Carlos Moedas was alongside AL businesspeople in demonstrations, “even putting political pressure on the Government to revoke the PS Government’s most restrictive legislation”.

“Until six months ago, Moedas religiously followed the PSD line, which in parliament had already voted against the transfer of powers over the AL to local authorities, and in the Lisbon City Council voted against containment zones in the historic center in 2018”, explained the PS councilor.

The amendment of the Municipal Regulation for Local Accommodation is underway, and the public consultation period, which took place between March 5 and April 15 of this year, has already concluded, in which “71 written contributions were received”, in addition to the suggestions received in three public sessions.

“The contributions received are being analyzed and considered, with the proposed regulation being submitted to a chamber meeting for approval, as soon as this analysis and consideration are concluded,” a source from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership told Lusa, without providing further information.

Currently, the Lisbon City Council executive, which is made up of 17 members, includes seven elected members from the "Novos Tempos" coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança) - who are the only ones with assigned portfolios and who govern without an absolute majority -, three from the PS, two from the PCP, three from Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), one from Livre and one from BE.