The Minister of the Interior of Portugal resigns due to serious errors in her management of the storm that left 13 dead

This departure of the executive occurs in the midst of the intense criticism that the management that the Portuguese Government has carried out in the face of the intense storms that have hit Portugal in recent weeks is receiving.

The thirteen deaths as a result of the storm are not the only consequence that the country facessince the succession of storms has caused floods, landslides and significant material damage in various parts of the territory.

Luis MontenegroPortuguese Prime Minister, has assumed the management of the ministry headed by Amaral, whose figure was very weakened due to his ineffective ability to respond to the difficult situation that the country was going through.

Amaral’s inability to react to the crisisadded to the errors in preventing the storm, added to a response considered late in mitigating the damage, which made her the target of that criticism.

The actions of the Portuguese government have been highly criticized for its slowness in dealing with the storm. Kristinwhich reached a peak of over 200 kilometers per hour.

Furthermore, it is not the first time that this minister has found herself in the eye of the storm as a result of her way of exercising her responsibilities and her inability to respond to the problems she has encountered during her mandate.

Last summer, his management of the fires in Portugal was also controversial, especially when he downplayed the lack of operability on the part of the air fleet while the fire in Ponte da Barca had been out of control for days.

Amaral, who is 68 years old, had held his position since June 2025, when Montenegro renewed its government team, following the results of the legislative elections. He came to office andn replacement of Margarida Blasco, former holder of the portfolio during the first executive.

Millionaire losses in Portugal

The actions of the government team in the face of this emergency have raised criticism that transcends the opposition, even reaching that of the president of the Republic of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousain addition to the majority of mayors of the affected areas.

This episode represents a significant setback for a weak Montenegro, whose strategy involves projecting effectiveness in the work of the executive as a way to neutralize its parliamentary weakness, as it finds itself in a minority in congress.

Furthermore, the Montenegrin cabinet, which has not yet expressed itself following Amaral’s resignation, estimates the losses at more than 4 billion euros.

For its part, the Portuguese Parliament postponed the debate with the prime minister after the minister’s resignation and the evacuation of 3,600 people due to the risk of the Mondego overflowing.