The National Association of Municipal Assemblies (ANAM) reinforced its presence in the Algarve, with the entry of three new members: the Municipal Assemblies of Aljezur, Olhão and São Brás de Alportel.
At this moment, according to a source from ANAM to the Sul Informação, of the 16 Municipal Assemblies of the district of Faro only two are not part of the association: Vila Real de Santo António and Silves.
For the National Association of Municipal Assemblies (ANAM), the last two years have been marked by a marked growth that has been noted not only by the number of new members, but also in terms of the number of legal advice consultations and requests for opinions.
Albino Almeida, president of ANAM, considers that “this growth is revealing of all the work that has been developed around the dignification of Municipal Assemblies, for the improvement of democracy in local power and for the elevation of democratic power in Portugal”.
Evaluating the last two years, strongly marked by the pandemic and by social, economic and even political constraints, the leader of the association, which already has more than 173 members, in the 18 districts of the mainland and in the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, believes that “Recent times have been very important to reinforce the role of Municipal Assemblies which, as a deliberative body of the municipality, had an important role in the appreciation of the main lines of municipal policy, such as the annual budget or the plan of activities of the municipalities that were considered. by the respective Municipal Assemblies in the light of a hitherto unknown reality”.
Albino Almeida, also president of a Municipal Assembly, recalls that “Municipal Assemblies are a deliberative body of the municipality, consisting not only of representatives of the different elected forces, but also of the presidents of the Junta who played a decisive role in the most critical phases of the pandemic. ”.
“It was these mayors who were closest to the populations, felt their anguish and problems and, often, solved small aspects such as the distribution of masks and alcohol gel, the signaling of the most vulnerable families and students who needed computer equipment and access to the internet. Internet. These and other aspects that weighed in the assessment of the measures and budgets approved by the Municipal Assembly”, he added.
For ANAM, there is no doubt that the role of Municipal Assemblies was preponderant in the municipal management of the pandemic. “In the last two years, not only did we register a high number of new members joining, but we also had to strengthen the support structure to respond to the high number of queries, requests and opinions that gave greater security to the procedures and acts performed, taking into account account that it is up to the Municipal Assemblies to ensure compliance with the laws and the regularity of the deliberations taken at the meetings”.
Despite the power granted to the Municipal Assemblies, Albino Almeida defends: “it is essential that the Government recognize and promote the strengthening of the deliberative, monitoring and inspection powers of the municipal assemblies. We are talking about something that does not imply waiting for legislative changes, as this reinforcement could result from greater application of existing laws”.
Regarding the valorization of municipal deputies, which has already led ANAM to create, last year, a center for the valorization of local elected representatives, the leader believes that it is increasingly important to value the diversity of professions and skills that often characterize those who are elected locally.
“We don't want more deputies who vote with limited technical knowledge or who vote only for party alignment”, he adds.
The president of the association founded in 2016 and formally established in 2018, which currently represents 173 of the 308 Municipal Assemblies in the country, is convinced that “the path has been created to create a strong national structure that he hopes will be reinforced at the end of 2022. , greatly exceeding 200 members”.
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