Livre accuses Portugal's government of failing storm-hit regions as parliamentary days begin in Leiria

Parliamentary days focus on storm aftermath

Livre's two-day parliamentary session began in the Leiria district, one of the areas hardest hit by the succession of storms in January and February. Deputies visited the Pinhal de Leiria, the Sport Operário Marinhense cultural and sports centre damaged by the weather, and the SOCEM mould-making company. The programme includes meetings with business associations, environmental groups, and the head of the government's reconstruction mission for the central region, Paulo Fernandes, before moving to Lisbon on Tuesday for a conference on prevention and rebuilding.

If there is one thing these times have proved, it is that it is worth implementing in Portugal a culture of planning, preparation and protection of the population.

Lay-off pay dispute

A central grievance is the application of a law approved by parliament in March that guarantees workers affected by the storms 100% of their salary under a simplified lay-off scheme. Livre's spokesperson Rui Tavares said the party had received indications from people on the ground that the parliamentary decision was not being respected administratively. The final decree stated that the additional expenditure would only take effect with the 2027 state budget, creating conflicting interpretations. Tavares argued that Livre's expectation was for immediate application and warned the government it "cannot disrespect parliament".

The government cannot, any government cannot, disrespect parliament.

Accusations of government failure

Isabel Mendes Lopes, Livre's parliamentary leader, said the government lacked a sense of urgency and responsibility, even after facing a blackout, fires and a train of storms during its two-year mandate. She criticised delays in forest clearing, the slow creation of the reconstruction agency, and the time taken to appoint its leadership. The party warned that fallen trees had left large amounts of combustible material, increasing fire risk, and that insufficient resources had been mobilised for clean-up on both public and private land.

We continue not to see the sense of urgency and responsibility on the part of the government, namely on the part of the prime minister.

Reconstruction agency under fire

Livre also targeted the appointment of former PSD deputy Luís Leite Ramos to head the agency managing the recovery investment plan. Tavares said the role required someone with the political weight to publicly challenge the government if aid was not arriving, something he argued Ramos, a long-time party figure, could not provide. The party contrasted this with the mission structure led by Paulo Fernandes, which it visited during the day.

Call for a prevention culture

Throughout the sessions, Livre pushed for a shift away from what Tavares called the Portuguese "desenrasca" (make-do) mentality towards systematic prevention. The party has tabled proposals including a cell broadcast alert system that would send warnings directly to mobile phones via radio signal, rather than the current SMS system that delivers messages hours after a disaster. Tavares noted that technologically advanced methods exist and should be deployed.