The National Association of Municipal Assemblies (ANAM) has stated that several municipal assemblies were compelled to postpone their meetings to approve accounts due to a widespread power outage. These meetings were originally scheduled for dates just before the legal deadline of April 30 set by the Court of Auditors.
To address the disruptions caused by the blackout, the Court of Auditors may allow an extension of the deadline if municipal assemblies submit a justified request. The power outage is recognized as a “force majeure” circumstance, ANAM clarified.
During a monthly meeting with local officials, Albino Almeida, the president of ANAM, called for calm among municipal bodies.
“The outage was an exceptional event, and the Court of Auditors’ understanding demonstrates common sense and respect for the work of local officials. This extension, granted upon official request to the Court, ensures that no assembly is penalized for circumstances beyond their control,” Almeida emphasized in the statement.
ANAM further assured that it will closely monitor the situation and remains “available to provide technical support and guidance to municipal assemblies that need to reschedule their sessions in order to organize the account submissions to the Court.”
A widespread power outage affected Portugal and Spain for approximately 10 to 11 hours on Monday, with authorities still providing no explanation for the incident.
The blackout resulted in airport closures, transportation and traffic congestion in major cities, and fuel shortages.
The electricity distribution network operator, E-Redes, confirmed on Tuesday morning that the power supply has been fully restored and normalized.
