Government accused of ‘holding back’ completed homes for political gain

Portugal’s PS opposition leader José Luís Carneiro has accused the government of deliberately delaying the allocation of completed homes until a future election campaign – describing the situation as “absolutely unacceptable and inhumane”.

The PS secretary-general claimed today that homes ready for occupation have remained empty for up to 18 months while the government waits for what he calls “a new electoral cycle”.

“There is one question that has to be put to the government,” Carneiro said during the closing session of the PS parliamentary retreat in Amadora, which focused on Portugal’s rising cost of living. “We have been told there are homes ready to be lived in that have been completed for a year and a half. Waiting for what? Waiting for a new electoral cycle in which people’s homes will serve as an election backdrop for the kind of political opportunism this government has accustomed us to?”

Carneiro said the properties were not limited to emergency accommodation but also included housing intended for young families.

He said he has arranged to visit the sites in question after receiving the information about them. The objective is to highlight what he sees as the political expediency at play.

“I want to show the country the absurdity of a nation that desperately needs housing for young families, older people and women who are victims of domestic violence, while homes have remained closed for a year and a half because the government wants to save these small political trophies—created by others—for electoral purposes,” he said.

“This is absolutely unacceptable, and it is inhumane.”

Carneiro did not identify the housing developments in question nor provide evidence to support the allegation during his speech. He also did not specify which public body was responsible for the reported delays.

The accusations come as housing affordability remains one of Portugal’s most pressing political issues, with soaring property prices, limited housing supply and rising rents continuing to dominate the national debate. The government has repeatedly said increasing the housing stock is one of its top priorities, including through the delivery of publicly-funded housing projects, but their ‘coming on line’ is taking time.

Source material: Diário de Notícias/ Lusa

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.