Portugal’s interior minister, Constanca Urbano de Sousa, has resigned amid mounting criticism over the government’s handling of a series of deadly forest fires that have killed more than 100 people in four months. She handed her resignation to Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Wednesday, bowing to increasing political pressure as the death toll continued to rise.
“After this summer, nothing can remain as before,” said Costa, who initially resisted calls for Urbano de Sousa to go before backing down. He admitted that state service providers had made “serious errors” in tackling the problem. “If you want me to apologise, then I apologise,” he told parliament. In her resignation letter, Urbano de Sousa lamented not having “the political and personal conditions necessary to carry out my functions.”
The resignation comes after a series of wildfires on Sunday killed 42 people and injured 71 in central and northern Portugal. Earlier, in June, blazes near the Pedrogao Grande region killed 64 and injured 250, marking the deadliest wildfires in the country’s history. In total, some 280,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed this year, according to European monitors.
The government has faced heavy criticism for failing to develop a coherent strategy to fight forest fires. On Tuesday evening, hundreds gathered in Lisbon in pouring rain to protest, shouting “Shame!” and “Resign!”. One demonstrator said on national television: “A hundred people are dead and nobody is taking responsibility… We need answers!”
Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Cabrita will replace Urbano de Sousa, the government announced. Portugal began three days of national mourning on Tuesday for the victims.
