Lisbon's PCP Accuses Mayor Moedas of Using Public Funds for Political Propaganda

Lisbon's PCP councilors have accused the city's mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), of signing direct contracts with media groups for political propaganda without municipal deliberation.

At the same time as Carlos Moedas attacks freedom of expression by removing political propaganda from the city, he uses public assets for his own propaganda," stated the PCP councilors in a press release.

The Lusa news agency requested clarification from the office of Carlos Moedas, who governs Lisbon without an absolute majority, but has yet to receive a response.

In the context of service acquisitions by direct adjustment by the Lisbon City Council (CML), PCP councilors João Ferreira and Ana Jara highlighted two contracts signed with Medialivre, a company that owns several media outlets, including the newspaper Correio da Manhã and the television channel CMTV, for the organization of the conference series "Lisbon, a city for everyone".

The event, with three conferences, was promoted by the Medialivre group as its own initiative, "which only had the support of the municipality," explained the PCP, stating that this information "is contradicted" by the data in the contracts signed by the CML and published on the Base portal.

On April 2, the communist councilors questioned the president of the CML about the contract signed with Medialivre for the first conference of this series, which took place on February 20, "dedicated to sustainable urban development, with the city of Lisbon as a reference and 'case study'."

This contract, which was in effect between February 17 and March 31, cost the CML a total of 92,250 euros (VAT included), an amount paid for Medialivre to be responsible for the organization, production, and execution of the conference, and for the advertising of "institutional announcements."

Two months after the request submitted by the PCP, "the CML not only has not yet responded" but also resorted to another direct adjustment for the acquisition of services from Medialivre, indicated the communist councilors.

This contract was awarded for a total of 147,600 euros and included the organization of two conferences in Lisbon, one on security, which took place on May 28, and another on immigration, which will take place on Tuesday, June 3.

"With the signing of these two contracts, the council has assumed a burden of 239,850 euros in five months for the promotion and political propaganda of Carlos Moedas and the councilors of the PSD and CDS-PP in a media outlet, without the right to contradiction or the possibility of participation of the other political forces represented in the municipal executive," criticized the PCP.

Referring that the direct adjustment contracting procedures "are not unprecedented in the CML," the PCP stated that "several media groups were contracted by the CML, at different times, using this same expedient."

"These initiatives, paid for by the CML, invariably turn into moments of propaganda for its president and his actions," they criticized.

In the case of the conference series "Lisbon, a city for everyone," the PCP lamented the exclusion of opposition councilors from this event and, therefore, concluded that this initiative served "solely and exclusively to promote the political choices of the president and councilors with portfolios, without the right to contradiction and the plurality of views."

These criticisms from the PCP add to the accusation, also subscribed by the PS, that the social democrat Carlos Moedas seeks to be "monopolistic in propaganda," after removing posters of political and partisan intervention on the Central Axis of Lisbon, between Saldanha and Entrecampos, and reinforcing the placement of advertising panels, including institutional advertising of the municipality, four months before the next local elections, which will take place between September and October.

Currently, the executive of the Lisbon City Council, which is composed of 17 members, includes seven elected from the coalition "New Times" (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Alliance) - who are the only ones with assigned portfolios and who govern without an absolute majority -, three from the PS, three from Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), two from the PCP, one from Livre, and one from the BE.