President Marcelo's Sharp Critique: 'Learning to Respond' Amid Fire Crisis and Minister's Silence

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa Addresses Minister's Evasion and Firefighting Lessons

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke to journalists on Tuesday, August 19, from Vila Franca do Deão in the Guarda region, following his attendance at the funeral of former mayor Carlos Dâmaso. Dâmaso was the first fatality in this year's devastating wildfires, which have already consumed over 216,000 hectares of agricultural and forest land across Portugal.

When questioned about the silence of the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral—who refused to answer journalists' inquiries after a statement at the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection headquarters on Sunday—Marcelo emphasized that the government is, in theory, responsible for national affairs. He noted that it's natural for the public to demand immediate answers.

"I admit that someone who just arrived two months ago might be discovering problems and the responses to give. That is also learned; I myself learned it," Marcelo stated, referring to Amaral's handling of media questions.

On Sunday, August 17, after announcing an extension of the alert situation for another 48 hours from the civil protection headquarters, Minister Amaral left the room without addressing any queries, not even about the SIRESP system—the state's emergency communication network, which reportedly experienced failures that day, according to Civil Protection sources. She simply said, "Let's go," to her aides as she stood up and exited.

Regarding the ongoing firefighting efforts this year, Marcelo acknowledged that there will be lessons to be drawn. "In 2017, we learned that it's crucial to preserve human lives as much as possible and avoid deaths and injuries, but unfortunately, there are dramatic exceptions. We learned that more prevention is needed, but more prevention implies more work throughout the year," he added, conceding that "there are things to change and improve."

Once the wildfire season concludes in September or October, a reflection on the current system will be necessary, and "the conclusion might be that the changes since 2017 have not been sufficient," the head of state remarked. He also attended the wake of a firefighter from Covilhã who died en route to combat the flames on Monday.

This week, Marcelo met with the president of the Portuguese Firefighters' League and plans to meet again with António Nunes next week.