Maria Lúcia Amaral has submitted her resignation as Minister of Internal Administration “claiming she no longer has the necessary personal or political conditions to continue in the position”.
According to reports, the resignation was proposed by the prime minister who will “temporarily assume the respective responsibilities”.
Ms Amaral’s resignation has also been accepted by President Marcelo, who has already published a note on the situation on his official website.
Criticism of Ms Amaral’s performance goes back months – to her perceived abysmal performance during last summer’s wildfires.
Her dealings with the carousel of storms have been seen to be equally ‘lacking’ in both political awareness, empathy and dynamism.
There have been multiple calls for her resignation before today. Last week, the parliamentary commission for Constitutional Matters unanimously approved an urgent hearing of the minister (and her secretary of state for Civil Protection) so that they could explain “the response to Storm Kristin and failures registered in the functioning of communications network SIRESP”.
SIC Notícias’ ‘Verifica’ ‘fact-checking’ slot recently pointed out that, “in situations of tragedy in the country, Maria Lúcia Amarl has taken several days to make her first public statements. When she finally does, she tends to avoid answering journalists’ questions, or does so with evident difficulty”.
Up until today, the government has been supportive of Ms Amaral. But tomorrow it faces a debate in parliament on its performance this far since the devastating carousel of storms that have caused an estimated €4 billion in damages – and clearly the prime minister felt Ms Amaral could do without a public bruising on live air.
Everything is pointing for tomorrow’s debate being a ‘lu-lu’. It will open, says Observador, “with an initial intervention by Luís Montenegro”. André Ventura – who has returned to parliament after suspending his mandate to join the presidential campaign – will be the first to question the leader of government, followed by the PS (Socialists), IL (Iniciativa Liberal), PCP (communists), Bloco de Esquerda, PAN and JPP, before the benches that support the government: CDS-PP and PSD.
