Demonstrations across Portugal for the right to housing

“We want to make ourselves heard!”, Pedro Fialho, a 21-year-old student, told AFP, who marched in Lisbon amid signs reading: “a house at an affordable price” or even “housing: a privilege or a right?”

“It is important that our governments understand that housing policy must radically change,” says Rita Branco, a young 27-year-old nurse, who is having difficulty finding accommodation to leave the family home.

Portugal is preparing for early legislative elections after the resignation of socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa, implicated in an influence peddling affair.

The demonstrators responded to the call of several associations as part of a third major day of mobilization in less than a year to defend the right to housing for all.

The socialist government, however, tackled the problem with the adoption last year of measures such as the end of "golden visas", residence permits granted to wealthy foreign investors, in order to curb real estate speculation.

This plan also included measures to promote the rental market and the construction of new social housing.

“The government's measures will not solve anything,” said Rita Silva, head of an association for the right to housing.

“We need housing currently used as financial assets to shift to the residential market,” she observed.

Despite these measures, the situation has further worsened in recent months, forcing many families to leave city centers, according to associations.

The increase in interest rates decided by the European Central Bank (ECB) affects a large number of owners holding variable rate loans, while housing prices continued to increase in 2023 by 11,8% over one year, according to the residential price index of Confidencial Imobiliario.