2025 Lisbon local election

Main article: 2025 Portuguese local elections

2025 Lisbon local elections

← 2021 12 October 2025
All 17 Councillors in the Lisbon City Council 9 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Leader Carlos Moedas Alexandra Leitão Party PSD PS Alliance For You, Lisbon[a] Live Lisbon[b] Last election 7 seats, 38.5%[c] 8 seats, 42.2%[d]   Leader João Ferreira Bruno Mascarenhas Party PCP CH Alliance CDU Last election 2 seats, 10.5% 0 seats, 4.4%
Incumbent Mayor Carlos Moedas PSD

The 2025 Lisbon local election will be held on 12 October 2025 to elect the members for Lisbon City Council, Lisbon Municipal Assembly and the city's 24 parish assemblies.

Carlos Moedas, from the Social Democratic Party, will seek a second term as mayor of Lisbon,^[1] in coalition with CDS – People's Party and this time also with the Liberal Initiative,^[2] while the Socialist Party, led by Alexandra Leitão, will lead a left-wing coalition alongside the Left Bloc, LIVRE and People Animals Nature in order to defeat the center-right coalition.^[3][4][5] The Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU) refused to be included in the PS-led coalition,^[6] and will present, for the fourth consecutive time, João Ferreira as candidate for mayor.^[7] Chega will present local Lisbon assembly member Bruno Mascarenhas as its mayoral candidate.^[8]

Background

The 2021 Lisbon local election was the biggest surprise of that year's nationwide local elections as Carlos Moedas, the candidate of the centre-right coalition led by the Social Democratic Party, managed to be elected Mayor of Lisbon and put an end to 14 years of Socialist rule.^[9] Against all expectations, the centre-right coalition managed to retake the capital by winning 34.3 percent of the votes and 7 councillors. The Socialist Party, in coalition with LIVRE, led by incumbent Mayor Fernando Medina, narrowly lost, achieving 33.3% of the votes and 7 councillors.

Meanwhile, the Unitary Democratic Coalition, led for the third time by João Ferreira, had a slight increase in its vote share to 10.5% of the votes and maintained its 2 councillors, while the Left Bloc, led by Beatriz Gomes Dias, won 6.2% of the votes and kept their sole seat. Despite results above 4% of the votes, newcomers far-right Chega and the Liberal Initiative failed to win a single seat in the municipal council, while the People Animals Nature party polled at just 2.7% of the votes and also didn't elect any seats.

Despite his victory, Carlos Moedas didn't achieved an absolute majority in either the city council or the municipal assembly, having to seek understandings and deals with the other parties represented in the City Council in order to govern.^[10]

Electoral system

Each party or coalition must present a list of candidates. The winner of the most voted list for the municipal council is automatically elected mayor, similar to first-past-the-post (FPTP). The lists are closed and the seats in each municipality are apportioned according to the D'Hondt method. Unlike in national legislative elections, independent lists are allowed to run.^[11][12]

Parties and candidates

Party/Coalition					Political position	Candidate	2021 result		Ref.
							Votes (%)	Seats
	PTL For You, Lisbon (Por ti, Lisboa)		PPD/PSD	Social Democratic Party Partido Social Democrata	Centre-right	Carlos Moedas	34.3%	4 / 17	[13][2] [1]
			CDS–PP	CDS – People's Party CDS – Partido Popular	Centre-right to right-wing			3 / 17
			IL	Liberal Initiative Iniciativa Liberal	Centre-right to right-wing		4.2%	0 / 17
	VL To Live Lisbon (Viver Lisboa)		PS	Socialist Party Partido Socialista	Centre-left	Alexandra Leitão	33.3%	6 / 17	[14][3]
			L	FREE LIVRE	Center-left to left-wing			1 / 17
			BE	Left Bloc Bloco de Esquerda	Left-wing		6.2%	1 / 17
			PAN	People Animals Nature Pessoas-Animais-Natureza	Syncretic		2.7%	0 / 17
	CDU	Unitary Democratic Coalition Coligação Democrática Unitária PCP, PEV			Left-wing to far-left	João Ferreira	10.5%	2 / 17	[7]
	CH	Enough! Chega!			Far-right	Bruno Mascarenhas	4.4%	0 / 17	[8]
	VP	Volt Portugal Volt Portugal			Centre to centre-left	José Almeida	0.4%	0 / 17	[15]
	ADN	National Democratic Alternative Alternativa Democrática Nacional			Far-right	Adelaide Ferreira	0.1%[e]	0 / 17	[16]
	ND	New Right Nova Direita			Right-wing	Ossanda Liber	—	—	[17]
	DA	Alliance Democratic Democrática Aliança PPM, PTP			Centre-right	Tomaz Ponce Dentinho	—	—	[18]
	RIR	React, Include, Recycle Reagir, Incluir, Reciclar,			Syncretic	Luís Mendes	—	—	[19]

Campaign period

Issues

Just five weeks before election day, a funicular derailed in the Glória elevator killing 16 people, and injuring 23 others.^[20] The question of maintenance, and the quality of it, is being investigated as it was made by a private outsourcing company.^[21] Carlos Moedas faced calls to resign and questions are being raised on how much this will impact the election,^[22] as also many of the decisions regarding maintenance of public transportation were made during the Socialist Party (PS) terms between 2007 and 2021.^[23]

Party slogans

Party or alliance		Original slogan	English translation	Refs
	PTL	« Por Ti, Lisboa »	"For You, Lisbon"	[24]
	VL	« Viver Lisboa »	"To Live Lisbon"	[25]
	CDU	« Lisboa, cidade da nossa vida »	"Lisbon, the city of our lives"	[26]
	CH	« Defender Lisboa »	"Defend Lisbon"	[27]
	VP	« Religa-te a Lisboa »	"Reconnect with Lisbon"	[28]
	ADN	« Lisboa vai ter o papel principal »	"Lisbon will have the main role"
	ND	« Resgatar Lisboa »	"Rescue Lisbon"	[29]

Candidates' debates

2025 Lisbon local election debates
Date	Organisers	Moderator(s)	P  Present[f]    NI  Not invited   I  Invited    A  Absent invitee
			PTL Moedas	VL Leitão	CDU Ferreira	CH Mascarenhas	Refs
15 Sep 2025	SIC	Nelma Serpa Pinto	P	P	P	P	[30]
19 Sep 2025	Rádio Observador	Carla Jorge de Carvalho Miguel Viterbo Dias	P	P	P	P	[31]
23 Sep 2025	CNN Portugal	João Póvoa Marinheiro	P	P	P	P	[32]
2 Oct 2025	RTP1	Carlos Daniel	P	P	P	P	[33]

Opinion polling

Polling firm/Link	Fieldwork date	Sample size	PTL			VL				CDU	CH	ADN	ND	PPM PTP	O	Lead
			PSD	CDS	IL	PS	L	BE	PAN
CESOP–UCP	27–29 Sep 2025	1,066	35 6/8			36 6/8				8 1/2	12 2	1 0	1 0	2 0	5 0	1
Pitagórica	23–28 Sep 2025	625	38.7 7			35.7 7				11.7 2	9.6 1	0.6 0	0.6 0	—	3.1 0	3.0
ICS/ISCTE	13–23 Sep 2025	807	36 7			35 6				6 1	16 3	2 0	1 0	—	4 0	1
ICS/ISCTE	14–27 Jul 2025	800	41 8			36 7				5 0	14 2	—	—	—	4 0	5
2025 Legislative election	18 May 2025	—	31.7 (6)		9.3 (1)	23.3 (5)	9.4 (2)	2.7 (0)	1.7 (0)	3.7 (0)	14.5 (3)	0.9 (0)	0.1 (0)	—	2.8 (0)	8.4
2024 EP election	9 Jun 2024	—	27.9 (5)		14.7 (3)	26.7 (5)	7.5 (1)	6.1 (1)	1.4 (0)	4.9 (1)	7.6 (1)	0.8 (0)	0.1 (0)	—	2.3 (0)	1.2
2024 Legislative election	10 Mar 2024	—	32.3 (7)		7.5 (1)	26.2 (5)	7.7 (1)	5.1 (1)	2.1 (0)	3.5 (0)	11.7 (2)	1.1 (0)	0.2 (0)	—	2.6 (0)	6.1
2022 Legislative election	30 Jan 2022	—	27.4 (6)	2.3 (0)	10.6 (2)	36.4 (7)	3.8 (0)	4.7 (0)	1.8 (0)	4.7 (1)	5.6 (1)	—	0.2 (0)	—	2.4 (0)	6.6
2021 local election	26 Sep 2021	—	34.3 7		4.2 0	33.3 7		6.2 1	2.7 0	10.5 2	4.4 0	0.1 0[e]	—	—	4.3 0	1.0

Notes

1. Coalition with PSD, IL and CDS–PP.
2. Coalition with PS, L, BE and PAN.
3. In the 2021 election, PSD/CDS/MPT/PPM/A had 7 seats and 34.3% of the votes, while IL had 4.2% and failed to elect any seats.
4. In the 2021 election, the PS+LIVRE coalition had 7 seats and 33.3% of the votes, while BE had 6.2% and 1 seat and PAN got 2.7% and failed to elect any seats.
5. Compared with the result of Democratic Republican Party. In late 2021, the Democratic Republican Party (PDR) changed its name to the National Democratic Alternative (ADN).
6. Denotes a main invitee attending the event.

References

1. "Moedas recandidata-se à Câmara de Lisboa. "Ainda tenho muito para dar"". Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 2025-07-11. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
2. "PSD e IL têm acordo para candidaturas autárquicas em Lisboa e Porto". Expresso (in Portuguese). 2025-06-05. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
3. Henriques, João Pedro (2025-07-17). "Há acordo para coligação das esquerdas em Lisboa, só o PCP fica de fora". Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-17.
4. Begonha, Ana Bacelar (2025-01-15). "Frente de esquerda? BE e Livre acreditam que é possível "fazer caminho" com Alexandra Leitão". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-01-16.
5. Lopes, Ana Sá (2025-01-13). "Alexandra Leitão é a candidata do PS à Câmara de Lisboa". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-02-16.
6. Gonçalves, Diogo; Candeias, Humberto (2024-07-15). "Autárquicas: PCP recusa coligação de esquerda em Lisboa". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-17.
7. Mesquita, Joana (2024-09-17). "João Ferreira volta a ser o candidato da CDU a Lisboa". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-01-14.
8. "Bruno Mascarenhas é o candidato do Chega à Câmara Municipal de Lisboa". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). 2025-03-09. Retrieved 2025-03-12.
9. Portugal, Rádio e Televisão de (2021-09-27). "Vitória-surpresa do PSD e direita em Lisboa, PS ganha no país". Vitória-surpresa do PSD e direita em Lisboa, PS ganha no país (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-01-14.
10. Portugal, Rádio e Televisão de (2021-09-27). "CML. Carlos Moedas vence Lisboa contrariando todas as sondagens". CML. Carlos Moedas vence Lisboa contrariando todas as sondagens (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-01-14.
11. "::: Lei n.º 169/99, de 18 de Setembro". www.pgdlisboa.pt. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
12. "Eleição dos titulares dos órgãos das autarquias locais" (in Portuguese). Diário da República. 14 August 2001. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
13. ""Alexandra Leitão? Qualquer candidato do PS terá dificuldades em ombrear com Moedas em Lisboa"". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
14. "Alexandra Leitão é a candidata do PS à Câmara de Lisboa". Expresso (in Portuguese). 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
15. Portugal, Rádio e Televisão de (2025-07-16). "Carlos Moedas (PSD) diz que escolha em Lisboa é entre moderação e radicalismo". Carlos Moedas (PSD) diz que escolha em Lisboa é entre moderação e radicalismo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-18.
16. "Cantora Adelaide Ferreira é candidata do ADN a Lisboa". www.cmjornal.pt (in Portuguese). 26 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
17. Lusa, Agência. "Ossanda Líber é candidata do Nova Direita à presidência da Câmara de Lisboa". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-01-14.
18. "Coligação PPM/PTP candidata dirigente monárquico na "verdadeira AD" em Lisboa". Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
19. "Autárquicas. RIR estreia-se na corrida à Câmara de Lisboa com Luís Mendes". Observador (in Portuguese). 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
20. "Sobe para 16 o número de mortos no descarrilamento do Elevador da Glória". Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 4 September 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
21. "Vistoria ao Elevador da Glória era de 24 horas diárias mas no dia do acidente durou meia hora". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). 5 September 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
22. "Elevador da Glória. Carlos Moedas deve ou não demitir-se?". Observador (in Portuguese). 6 September 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
23. "Carris "intensificou" recurso a manutenções externas a partir de 2009 por "redução do pessoal"". Eco (in Portuguese). 5 September 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
24. "Lista 'Por ti, Lisboa – MOEDAS 2025' entregue. A equipa que lidero é a mais preparada e a mais experiente para dar ainda mais aos lisboetas". Carlos Moedas X account (in Portuguese). 18 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
25. "Vamos #ViverLisboa". Alexandra Leitão Facebook account (in Portuguese). 13 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
26. "None". CDU Lisboa Facebook account (in Portuguese). 16 June 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
27. "Autárquicas 2025". Bruno Mascarenhas Facebook account (in Portuguese). 25 July 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
28. "Autárquicas 2025 - Religa-te a Lisboa". Volt Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-09-28.
29. "Programa Lisboa". NOVA DIREITA (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-09-28.
30. "Autárquicas 2025: CDU e Chega juntam-se ao debate em Lisboa". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). 13 September 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
31. "Quem atacou quem no primeiro debate de Lisboa na rádio?". Observador (in Portuguese). 19 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
32. "Elevador da Glória, lixo e habitação aquecem debate tenso entre candidatos a Lisboa". Renascença (in Portuguese). 24 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
33. "Eleições Autárquicas 2025 - Debate Lisboa". RTP (in Portuguese). 2 October 2025. Retrieved 4 October 2025.

External links

• Interior Ministry election results page