The document had seven votes in favor from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership and seven votes against - namely three from Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), two from the PCP, one from the BE and one from Livre - and three abstentions from the PS.

With a tie in the vote, the document was eventually approved with the casting vote of the president of the CML, represented by the vice-president, Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP).

In a statement, the PCP in the CML today justified the vote against considering that "in 2023 the management of the executive chamber did not contribute to the sustained development of the municipality, nor to the improvement of the living conditions of those who visit, work and live in the city".

The PCP in the CML considered that the negative results presented are "inseparable from the management options established" in the Budget and Plan Options for 2023, which have "a millionaire budget on the revenue side, unparalleled in the national municipal universe", but in the day-to-day life of the city do not reflect in improvements, for example, in cleaning, urban hygiene and waste removal for recycling.

The PCP councilors criticized the "regressive taxation measures, through the granting of tax benefits in the context of IRS (in a total of 47 million euros for the 2022 fiscal year), which fundamentally benefit the families with the highest incomes in Lisbon" and other "tax exemptions and non-financial support to the promoters of major events such as Web Summit or MEO Kalorama, both events representing a total of 11.24 million euros in uncollected revenue, with strong impacts on the reduction of municipal revenue".

On the other hand, they stressed that "the option to accept the transfer of competences", particularly in the Education sector, "resulted in additional pressure on the municipal budget generated by the clear insufficiency of financial resources transferred by the Government, to meet the numerous obligations that such transfer implies".

The communists also highlighted that there is a "huge delay in the implementation of major approved housing projects, combined with a lack of transparency about the progress of many others", as well as "the delay and abandonment of projects within the scope of the PRR [Recovery and Resilience Plan], both in the area of housing and in the area of mobility".

The communist council also criticized the increasingly marked distancing of the city's inhabitants from cultural activities, the eviction of various cultural, sports and leisure groups, the increase in the circulation of private vehicles, "due to the lack of an articulated response with the neighboring municipalities", and failures in the management of public transport.

The Lisbon City Council ended 2023 with a negative net result, in the amount of 18.59 ME, due to an increase in expenses, namely with the World Youth Day, according to data presented on April 29.

The executive of the Lisbon City Council, which is composed of 17 members, includes seven elected members of 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.

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