Portuguese voters headed to the polls Sunday for municipal elections, with national attention centered on Lisbon’s mayoral contest following a streetcar crash last month that killed 16 people, including 11 tourists.
Mayor Carlos Moedas, head of a right-of-center coalition, faces left-of-center Alexandra Leitão, a law professor, in the municipal race for a four-year term.
The vote comes after 16 people including 11 tourists were killed in a streetcar crash Sept. 3, causing a public outcry. Moedas rejected any blame and refused to resign.
Carris, the company operating the streetcar service and other public transport in the city, is overseen by Lisbon City Council.
But many say their vote is influenced far more by other issues in the city, such as housing policies and trash collection as Lisbon creaks under the strain of a surge in tourists and a steep climb in real estate prices.
