During remarks at the Assembly of the Republic, Inês de Sousa Real, leader of the PAN party, stated that Monday’s blackout “demonstrates that governance must be open to the population and information” and “it would have been crucial for the government to have promptly communicated with the population.”
“We know it is easy to criticize in such a context, and we do not wish to engage in populist rhetoric, claiming everything has failed, (…) but there are glaring failures. It’s enough to see that the Assembly of the Republic was left in the dark, and that the government itself failed to communicate with all parliamentary parties,” the PAN leader remarked.
For Sousa Real, the blackout should be viewed as “a case study” to determine where improvements can be made in public communication and responses from public institutions.
“There are priorities, namely the National Health Service, health centers, pharmacies, and schools. We need a network capable of ensuring these infrastructures, instead of, for instance, universities with generators not directed toward essential public services. But the organs of sovereignty cannot fail either,” she added.
The PAN leader also criticized the lack of reference to animal protection in the resolution of the Council of Ministers concerning the electricity failure.
Beyond criticizing the executive’s communication, Sousa Real called for a greater emphasis on ensuring the country’s energy autonomy and sovereignty.
The PAN leader argued that it makes no sense for Portugal’s electricity grid to be “in the hands of foreign countries,” without public management and lacking more effective investment to enable individuals who generate energy in their homes, urging a legislative change to ensure they are not “dependent on the grid service and distribution.”
Inês de Sousa Real advocated for increased investment in defense and national security, given the “uncertainty surrounding the cause of this blackout” and the adaptation of “essential infrastructure to this type of response.”
“This has not happened, and successive governments have divested in this area of infrastructure adaptation and energy autonomy. One thing is certain, a more resilient and prepared country is one that is independent regarding energy production, and this must be a priority,” she stated.
A widespread electricity outage affected both Portugal and Spain from 11:30 on Monday, and authorities have yet to provide an explanation.
The electricity distribution network operator, E-Redes, assured this morning that the service is fully restored and normalized.
