The new regulation counted on the favourable votes of the independent movement "Rui Moreira: Aqui Há Porto", of the PSD and PAN, the abstention of the elected PS, and the vote against by BE and CDU. The elected Chega did not attend the session that took place on Thursday night.

With the approval by the Municipal Assembly, the new regulation should enter into force between today and May 02, which was affirmed in the Official Gazette.

Noting that the regulation "arrives with a delay of five years", Adriano Castro, from BE, said it should "go further" and "incorporate effective measures", arguing that the exceptions it incorporates "will lead to the increase of AL in areas already under a lot of pressure" in the city.

"In a city at the height of the biggest housing crisis we have a regulation that says from 10,000 AL we can jump to 20,000," he noted.

In response, the mayor of Porto rejected that the "AL is to blame for the housing crisis."

"The main reason why there is a crisis is that legislative measures are nothing more than promises thrown to the wind. The attempt to demonise the AL does not reap with this executive, "said Rui Moreira.

For the PSD, Miguel Corte Real said there are several reasons that lead cities to go through "great transformations", and defended AL. The social democrat Silvia Soares accused the Government of "intending to kill AL" and "negatively discriminate" against the sector.

Socialist Agostinho Sousa Pinto praised the definition of containment zones, which he considered the "fundamental piece" of the regulation, arguing, however, that some of the exceptions "are too much" and "permissive."

Francisco Calheiros, of the CDU, also considered that the regulation should be "more cautious" about the exceptions "to allow them not to regret this premise."

PAN's sole deputy, Paulo Vieira de Castro, said he was in favor of the "sustainable management" of the AL in the city, noting, however, that some of the exceptions present in the document may "distort" this objective.

"The special interest of the city must always be taken care of," he said.

The elected independent movement, José Maria Montenegro, said that Porto is currently a "regenerated" city, largely due to the AL, and considered that the document is "a balanced solution" by also integrating exceptions "of common sense".

"I can only see balanced decisions and respect for an economic activity that deserves respect," he said.

The regulation establishes "containment areas" in the parishes with more urban pressure, based on the number of dwellings available for permanent housing or long-term rental and the establishments available for AL.