Portuguese people took to the streets in more than 30 cities against the housing crisis

Thousands of people took to squares in more than 30 cities to protest the housing crisis in Portugal.

With the call of the "Casa para Viver" (House for Living) platform, which has been organizing the protests for the last two months demanding a solution to the housing crisis in the country, demonstrations were organized in more than 30 cities with the slogan "They will not steal our right to life. More protection and public housing for housing."

The capital Lisbon and the cities of Porto in the north of the country came to the fore in the protests.

In their statements to the press, "Casa para Viver" spokesmen argued that salaries in Portugal are very low compared to European Union countries and that it is impossible for citizens to access housing.

Platform spokespeople see it as "nonsense" that the government says that a middle-income earner earns 2,300 euros and say, "More than half of the people working in this country earn less than 1,000 euros. Houses worth up to 660,000 euros are also considered to be of medium value in the real estate market. None of these are realistic." he said.

GOVERNMENT IS LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION TO THE HOUSING CRISIS

On the other hand, the bill submitted to the parliament by the right-wing government in Portugal at the end of September to solve the housing crisis has still not been approved.

Although the main opposition far-right Chega stated that it would support it with an abstention vote, the bill, which includes changes on deposits and advance rent payments in house rentals, protection for the elderly with old contracts and strengthened social support for tenants, is opposed by the opposition left, communist and liberal parties.

Although the government in Portugal has implemented some measures in the past, such as imposing restrictions on tourist apartments and requiring the rental of vacant properties, rapidly rising rental prices in the country make the solution to the housing crisis difficult.

PRESIDENT SEGURO LISTENED TO THE PROTESTERS

On the other hand, Portuguese President Antonio Jose Seguro received 18 people from the groups that protested against the housing crisis by camping with tents in Porto and Lisbon at the Presidential Palace yesterday.

Activists who made a statement to the press after the meeting stated that President Seguro found them right and reasonable, took careful note of their suggestions, and said that he would establish a dialogue with the government for a solution.

Activists stated that they would continue their protests.

In a report published by the EU at the end of 2025, it was stated that housing costs across Europe increased by 60.5 percent on average between 2015 and 2025.

According to the report, the third country in which housing prices increased the most after Hungary and Lithuania in this period was Portugal, with an increase of 147 percent.