On the one hand, foreign tourists who monopolize accommodation in the Lisbon city centre; on the other, residents evicted and relegated to the sometimes distant suburbs. This symbol, now well known and documented, of the housing crisis in the Portuguese capital, pushed 11,000 citizens to sign a petition to organize a referendum on the end of short-term tourist rentals, such as Airbnb. “Local accommodation”, in Portuguese.
And this initiative “has every chance of succeeding”, announcement Express. Firstly because it collected more than the 5,000 legal signatures to be debated in the municipal council, then because it is “immediately supported” by all the opposition parties (Portuguese Socialist Party, Left Bloc, communists, ecologists, among others), who are in the majority with 38 elected out of 75. The idea will be the subject of a vote in December and, if it is approved, the referendum could be organized in the spring.
The citizens behind this project and their political supporters say they are in favor of removing all housing used in Lisbon for tourist purposes, so that they can be put on the rental or sale market as permanent homes. “A possible victory
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