Portugal is battling severe floods, brought by Storm Leonardo, bashing through the country in the midst of presidential elections.
The Storm Leonardo is the second to hit Portugal in a span of two weeks. One man died in Portugal, while a young girl is missing in southern Spain. Portugal's government has extended a state of emergency until the end of next week, declaring a "devastating crisis."
Severe weather conditions have forced thousands to evacuate, shutting schools and cancelling trains. All in the midst of Portugal's presidential elections.
After the first round of elections on 18 January, a centre-left Socialist candidate, Antonio José Seguro, topped the ratings with 31.1% of the vote. The leader of the far-right Chega party, André Ventura, followed with 23.5%.
As none of the 11 candidates crossed the 50% threshold, a runoff will take place on Sunday, 8 February. However, a severe storm has called into question holding the second round of elections.
Heavy rains and strong winds have caused more than 7,000 people to evacuate in Andalucía. About 1,500 residents have been ordered to leave their homes in Grazalema. Portuguese authorities issued a red alert due to flooding of the Tagus River in the Santarém region, northeast of the capital Lisbon.
Yesterday, the Portuguese electoral authority (CNE) confirmed that the second round of Sunday's presidential election will proceed as scheduled.
Ventura had called for a postponement due to heavy rainfall caused by Storm Leonardo, while Seguro called on the Portuguese people who can vote to do so on Sunday, adding that it is up to the authorities to hold the election in each municipality. The CNE argued that the law "does not allow for any postponement."
