PS in the Lisbon Chamber is reduced to four elected after the departure of João Paulo Saraiva – Politics
Socialist João Paulo Saraiva, who resigned as councilor in the Lisbon Chamber, will be replaced by Floresbela Pinto, from Cidadãos Por Lisboa, who was elected by the PS/Livre coalition, the board of the political association announced this Friday.
“On the ‘More Lisbon’ list [PS/Livre]As a member of Cidadãos Por Lisboa (CPL), Floresbela Pinto will assume her place as councilwoman at the beginning of 2023, following the departure of João Paulo Saraiva, since she is the next member on the list”, informed the CPL management, in a statement, noting that the new councilor will share a structure of resources already existing in the political movement’s office.
The PS councilor confirmed to Lusa that the new councilwoman is Floresbela Pinto, without providing further information.
Socialist João Paulo Saraiva resigned as councilor in the Lisbon Chamber, a decision related to the functions he assumed, in July, in the executive administration of Metropolitano de Lisboa, revealed today a source from the PS council.
The same source added that a meeting was planned today, after lunch, with the political movement Cidadãos Por Lisboa, which already has a councilwoman in the executive chamber, Paula Marques, who was elected by the PS/Livre coalition.
After the meeting, “there may be news about the replacement” of João Paulo Saraiva in the Lisbon city council executive, he informed.
The information came from the CPL: “It is in absolute defense of the program with which we were elected, in a coalition agreement with the PS, that we will continue to work. With two councilors from Cidadãos Por Lisboa, the opposition to Carlos Moedas will naturally be protected, in defense of a fairer and more equitable city with room for all people”.
In a statement, the CPL reinforce that “they are an autonomous political force, but have the same political project with the PS for the city of Lisbon”, recalling that, following what had already been happening since 2013, this was the agreement signed to the last municipal elections of September 2021 “and which remains in force, guiding the common work that has been developed in common”.
According to the terms of the law and the coalition agreement, the entry of new councilors to the municipal executive follows the order of the list defined and presented to the election.
“Thus, the spirit of the project in which we are committed is maintained and inscribed in the proposals that we have defended for Lisbon and for the quality of life of the people”, pointed out the CPL.
The new councilor Floresbela Pinto has experience working in the council, as well as in the municipal assembly, “with a deep knowledge of the local reality, the needs of the city and its inhabitants”, who acquired the land and in direct contact with the people, being ” recognized for its ability to launch solutions to real problems”, according to this political force.
At the end of this morning, the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD), said that he had not yet received the request for the resignation of the socialist João Paulo Saraiva as councilor and that he learned through the news, considering that “nothing changes”, not least because “for a long time the councilor has been substituted at meetings”.
Asked if he considers that the PS opposition is losing weight, the mayor of Lisbon devalued this possibility and stated that the concern is to convince opposition councilors of the measures they defend to improve people’s lives.
Since the inauguration of those elected to Organs municipal bodies of Lisbon for the 2021-2025 term, on October 18, 2021, the departure of João Paulo Saraiva is the second in the PS council, which had five elected representatives, and is now reduced to four — Inês Drummond, Cátia Rosas, Pedro Anastácio and Rodrigo Lino Gaspar.
The first resignation was that of socialist Miguel Gaspar, in November 2022, who justified the decision for professional reasons, having been replaced by architect Rodrigo Lino Gaspar (PS).
Both João Paulo Saraiva and Miguel Gaspar had been part of the former municipal executive of Lisbon, under the presidency of Fernando Medina, who lost re-election against the social-democrat Carlos Moedas.
In addition to the socialists, the chamber lost one elected by the “Novos Tempos” coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança), Laurinda Alves, who resigned as councilor for health reasons in October 2022, being replaced by Sofia Athayde (CDS-PP).
In the current mandate, Carlos Moedas governs without an absolute majority, with seven elected from the “Novos Tempos” coalition among the 17 elements that make up the executive council, with 10 elected in the opposition, all without assigned portfolios, which are now: four PS councilors , two independent from Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), two from the PCP, one from Livre and one elected from BE.