After 2 Massive, Deadly Fires In 4 Months, Portugal's Govt. Faces No-Confidence Vote
LISBON (Reuters) - A Portuguese opposition party launched a motion of no-confidence in the Socialist government on Tuesday over its failure to prevent the loss of human lives in this week’s lethal wildfires, the second such disaster in four months.
Hundreds of fires have raged across northern and central Portugal since Sunday after the driest summer in nearly 90 years, killing at least 41 people and overwhelming fire-fighting and rescue services. The fires were dying down on Tuesday under the first real rain since June, when an even deadlier forest blaze - Portugal’s worst disaster in living memory - killed 64 people.
The no-confidence motion proposed by the small center-right CDS-PP party is largely symbolic as the minority Socialist government is backed in parliament by two left-wing parties. They have only to abstain for such a vote to fail.
But it comes amid growing public criticism of Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s government over the perceived slowness of its response to the disaster. The government has so far enjoyed strong approval ratings due to an improving economy.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-portugal-fire/portugals-government-faces-no-confidence-vote-over-forest-fires-idUSKBN1CM1MZ