Lisbon, April 20, 2026 (Lusa) – Portugal’s speaker of parliament, Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco, on Monday is to visit the areas in the central Leiria region hit by storm Kristin in late January, inviting parliamentary group leaders and MPs to join him.

A parliamentary source said the speaker intends the invitation to the leaders and single MPs from BE (Left Bloc), PAN (environmentalist party) and JPP (Together for the People) to give "institutional weight" to the trip. MPs elected by the Leiria constituency will also accompany the delegation.

The speaker’s trip follows an invitation from the Leiria Intermunicipal Community, which coordinates local development across several districts. Working meetings with local councillors, a visit to a company and to a social sector organisation in the region are planned.

The first visit starts at 10:00 a.m. at industrial plastics company Domplex, Plastidom, in Barosa. He then visits the "Reerguer Leiria" (Rebuild Leiria) office in the Sant'Ana Market.

Later in the morning, a meeting is scheduled with local leaders from the Intermunicipal Community of the Leiria Region and with the “Recover Portugal” Task Force, after which statements to the press are planned.

In the afternoon, the parliamentary group will visit Leiria Hospital and, at 4:00 p.m., the Santa Casa da Misericordia in Pombal, a charitable institution providing social and healthcare services.

Following the wave of storms that hit mainland Portugal earlier this year, the speaker of parliament has already been on the ground assessing the damage in the district of Viana do Castelo and also in Alcácer do Sal, in the district of Setúbal.

PMF/LYT // AYLS

Lusa