Elevator of Glory: Alexandra Leitão criticizes Carlos Moedas' “96 hours of inaction”

Alexandra Leitão, the Socialist candidate for the Lisbon mayoralty, criticized Carlos Moedas's "96 hours of inaction" on Monday in response to the Glória elevator accident, which killed 16 people and injured 22 others.

"I would like to emphasize the fact that, following the tragedy, we had 96 hours—four days—of inaction from the Mayor of Lisbon. He didn't convene the executive branch; he went to the Council of Ministers and it wasn't clear what to do; he didn't speak to the people of Lisbon, and when he did speak yesterday [in an interview with SIC Notícias], it was to insult, not to offer solutions," the candidate stressed in statements to journalists late in the morning, while the extraordinary meeting at the city council was still underway.

Stressing that she is "used to the personal attacks" that have been deferred to her since she became a candidate, the socialist considered that the insults made in Sunday night's interview "reached a very unacceptable limit."

"But I won't dwell on that. Personal attacks and insults say more about the person making them than the person receiving them," he said, adding that he will focus on proposals "to restore confidence in the city of Lisbon."

The city, he said, "is neglected," and this "is visible in urban hygiene and public spaces." Now, he added, "we have yet another situation that needs to be fully clarified and that leaves Lisbon residents without confidence in municipal structures."

Regarding the elevator derailment, the leader of the left-wing coalition (PS/BE/Livre) recalled that her party presented a proposal, and reported on it last Friday, to create an office and a municipal fund to support victims and to carry out audits of elevator inspection protocols.

"Contrary to what they've been trying to convey, the technical note already tells us two very clear things: the first is that the redundancy system isn't enough, and the second is that naked-eye inspections don't detect problems like the one that occurred. So, something needs to change," he noted.

When asked whether she sees a political error in the origin of the tragedy, Alexandra Leitão maintains what she has said, without calling for Carlos Moedas' resignation, unlike what, for example, former PS leader Pedro Nuno Santos has done.

"At this stage, I'm simply asking for further clarification and for accountability to be determined. I won't say anything more at this stage. This isn't political gain. Requesting clarification is what's required for people to restore their trust and honor the victims," ​​he stated.

The candidate for mayor of Lisbon also argued that it is necessary to find mobility "alternatives," given that the elevators, not just the one in Glória, will be out of service for a long time.

Alexandra Leitão also criticized Carlos Moedas for claiming in a letter that he had increased investment in Carris by 20 or 30%. "In fact, the investment in maintaining that type of elevator was 4%, 4% during a period of inflation and increased load... for someone who places such importance on communication, it was a communication error," she noted.

“Hitmen” and cynicism

In an interview with SIC, his first with a media outlet since last week's accident, Carlos Moedas stated that "in this tragedy there is no error that can be attributed to a decision by the Mayor."

"If anyone can prove that any action I took, anything I did as Mayor in relation to this company [Carris] led to this company not spending enough on maintenance, to this company not doing what it had to do, I will resign that day," he said.

In this interview, Moedas argued that his priority on the day of the accident was to be on the ground, "in one of the most difficult situations Lisbon has ever experienced" and not to speak to politicians or answer questions from journalists, noting that these have been "days of mourning," in which his concern has been to try to provide a response to the families of the victims.

The Social Democrat also criticized what he considers to be the "politicization" of the tragedy. "It deeply upsets me to see that certain political parties, in a direct manner, and others in a covert manner, as is the case with the Socialist Party in Lisbon [...] because, essentially, there's a candidate who isn't asking for my resignation, but instead is tasking all her henchmen and supporters to come after me, like Pedro Nuno Santos, like Brilhante Dias." Regarding Alexandra Leitão's role, he added, "it was very cynical and covert."