A referendum in Lisbon – what for?

Original opinion piece from the newspaper Público

On 2 December 2024, the newspaper Público published an opinion piece by Tiago Carvalho, a researcher at CIES-Iscte, on the request for a local referendum on short-term rentals in Lisbon.

The author notes that, for the first time in the country, a group of citizens – the Movimento Referendo pela Habitação (Housing Referendum Movement) – asked Lisbon’s Municipal Assembly to hold a citizen-initiated referendum. The piece frames this initiative within the mobilisation of housing rights movements, which since 2017 have organised protests, promoted debates and directly supported people affected by the housing crisis.

Read the full opinion piece in Público.