The proposal, signed by the Mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), and the Councilor for Housing, Filipa Roseta, provided for the public auction of seven municipal plots in the parishes of Lumiar (one plot), Marvila (two), Beato (three), and Penha de França (one), and should have been discussed and voted on during a private council meeting of the executive. According to the signatories, the objective of the operation would be to obtain financing to make investments in the housing area, in the Liberdade neighborhood, Campolide slope, Casal do Pinto, and Portugal Novo, representing an estimated total of over 700 homes and an investment of 100 million euros. The proposal would be withdrawn from the agenda, following criticism raised by opposition parties and after the PS presented an amendment proposal, according to the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD), in statements sent to the Lusa agency. "The PS proposed, in an absolutely unacceptable and incomprehensible way, a set of obstacles to the creation of more municipal housing in the city of Lisbon. Due to these obstacles, the municipal executive was forced to withdraw a proposal that would allow an investment of 70 million euros in housing", justified the mayor. Without revealing whether the leadership of his executive will present a proposal along the same lines, Carlos Moedas only emphasizes that, "despite these obstacles", he will not give up "finding solutions to create more affordable housing for the people of Lisbon". "The PS's partisan tricks once again jeopardize the realization of more affordable housing in Lisbon. They prioritize party survival to the detriment of people", accused the mayor. According to the PS amendment proposal, to which Lusa had access, in the sale process, the executive should present "individualized information by real estate asset" and the "specific operation" that it would finance with the respective sale. The socialists also intended that the "extrapolation by area and typologies of the number of potential units of the asset to be sold and the operation to be financed, with the indication of the expected date of the start of the work and the respective schedule until its delivery" be made. "The PS does not accept the idea that we sell now to be able to build in the future, without firm commitments and projects presented, in any more or less near future. Using the argument that it is necessary to sell land, in 2024, to finance the rehabilitation of the Portugal Novo neighborhood, for which projects are still needed and to resolve property issues that can drag on for several years, is not serious", justified the socialist councilors, in a note sent to Lusa. In this sense, the socialists emphasize that "in order to have the green light, the sale of land would always depend on the construction or rehabilitation of new houses" and that these new developments "had to be identified". Also in a reaction to this issue, the Left Bloc stated that "the withdrawal of a proposal that was immoral and harmful to those who live and work in Lisbon" shows that Carlos Moedas wanted to "play the victim" and that "it was not for real". "After the hole in the council's accounts, the presentation of this proposal and its withdrawal without a vote demonstrates total disorientation on the part of Carlos Moedas", say the bloc members. The PCP councilors indicated that "they are not, in principle, against the sale of municipal assets, but that, in the current conditions, if it happens, it should be the counterpart of operations that, overall, increase and do not decrease the capacity to build affordable housing". In turn, the councilors of Cidadãos Por Lisboa affirm that "the Lisbon City Council has never had so many financial resources available to build housing". "It is not clear why Moedas wanted to sell the few plots that we still have, if this heritage can be fundamental in the future. Is he trying to solve the problems caused by the deficit that re-emerged this year in the accounts, or does he just want to cover up the lack of results?", they ask. In the same vein, Livre criticizes the sale of land "with housing potential", at a time when there is a "housing emergency". "In the last term, more than 2,400 units of affordable public rental programs, the Novos Tempos, were left under construction and programmed, instead of launching contracts and programming 1,100 more houses, they prefer to hand them over to real estate speculation", they point out. 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 the BE. Read Also: Moedas says that the suspension will allow Moura to defend himself before the courts (Portuguese version)