Portugal’s Interior Minister resigns due to mounting criticism over the storm response
Madrid — The Portuguese Minister of the Interior resigned in response to growing criticism of her government’s successive response Winter storms This season in which at least seven people were killed.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s office said late Tuesday that Maria Lucia Amaral resigned after concluding that she “no longer had the personal and political conditions necessary to hold this position.”
The statement said that Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro will assume its duties temporarily.
An ongoing series of deadly winter storms have wreaked havoc in the European Union member state of 10.7 million people, triggering floods, landslides and power outages, and causing major infrastructure damage in many parts of the country.
Lawyer Amaral has been criticized for her government’s slow response, especially during Storm Christine, which struck the country in late January, killing six people, according to media reports.
Another person died last week when Storm Leonardo hit Spain and Portugal.
Amaral is the first minister to resign since the center-right government led by Montenegro came to power last May.
