Will Lisbon's Dirty Streets Doom Moedas?

When Carlos Moedas, a former European Commissioner, clinched a surprise victory in the September 2021 local elections, his ‘Novos Tempos’ (New Times) coalition ran on a platform of renewal and competence. A central, tangible pledge was to deliver a “choque de limpeza”—a shock of cleanliness—to a city he argued had been neglected by the previous socialist administration. Four years on, that promise is being thrown back at him. Residents and business owners, particularly in high-density and tourist-heavy parishes, complain that collection is erratic and that the city feels dirtier than ever, turning a core campaign promise into a glaring political vulnerability.

The Anatomy of the Grime

City Hall insiders and urban-planning experts point to a cocktail of causes. A post-pandemic tourism boom has placed unprecedented strain on municipal services, with waste generation in some areas spiking by over 20%. This surge has overwhelmed an ageing infrastructure of bins and collection vehicles, much of which, the current administration argues, suffered from years of underinvestment. Furthermore, the city’s cleaning operations are a complex patchwork of direct municipal management and outsourced private contracts, creating coordination challenges. Labour disputes have not helped; periodic strikes by sanitation workers over pay and conditions have left bins overflowing for days, providing powerful images for news reports and opposition social media feeds.

Opposition Smells an Opportunity

For the Socialist Party (PS), still smarting from its 2021 loss, the issue is a political gift. Councillors have relentlessly hammered Moedas on the topic, framing it not just as an aesthetic failure but as a public health concern and a symbol of managerial incompetence. They contrast the current state with their own tenure, conveniently omitting the challenges they faced. With the Autumn 2025 municipal elections looming, the PS is positioning cleanliness as a simple, powerful ballot-box question: is your street cleaner today than it was four years ago? For many voters, the answer may be a simple ‘no’, a sentiment that could easily erase the mayor’s narrow 1.5% victory margin from the last election.

Moedas’s Counter-Offensive

The Moedas administration is not standing idle. It has publicly acknowledged the problem, often blaming the "heavy inheritance" from the past while launching its own initiatives. City Hall has announced a significant investment package aimed at recruiting hundreds of new sanitation workers, purchasing new electric collection vehicles, and installing thousands of larger-capacity and underground bins. A pilot project for 24/7 collection in critical zones has been rolled out, and the mayor frequently uses his own social media channels to publicise clean-up operations. The strategy is clear: to convince voters that he has a plan and is actively tackling the issue, hoping the results become visible before they cast their ballots.

The Takeaway for Lisbon Voters

Urban cleanliness is a uniquely potent political issue. Unlike abstract economic policies or long-term infrastructure projects, it is a daily, visible referendum on a mayor’s effectiveness. While Moedas can point to achievements in attracting tech investment or streamlining bureaucracy, the persistent sight of uncollected garbage provides his opponents with an undeniable weapon. The battle over Lisbon's streets is more than just about trash; it’s a test of the ‘New Times’ narrative. As the 2025 election approaches, the mayor’s political future may well hinge on whether he can deliver on his most basic promise and clean up not only the city but also a growing stain on his own political brand.