Soares averts Govt collapse

Press, 26 July 1978, Page 8

Soares averts Govt collapse

NZPA-Reuter Lisbon The Portuguese Socialist Party leadership has pledged continuing support for the Prime Minister (Dr Mario Soares) and his Government despite a rupture with the conservative junior partners in the Administration. The move averted a possible collapse of the six-month-old Government after the resignation of the three Conservative members of the Cabinet. The Conservative Centre Democrats withdrew from the Cabinet in an attempt to force Dr Soares to sack his Agriculture Minister (Dr Luis Saias) as part of a Government reshuffle.

But the Socialist steering committee, after meeting into the early hours of the morning, called on all Socialists and Democrats at this difficult hour to back the democratically elected Government.

The problem of the Con-servative-Socialist pact would be discussed later. The decision will give Dr Soares breathing space to tesolve the crisis before Parliament resumes after the summer recess in October. The Socialists survived for 16 months as a minority Government until defeated on a vote of confidence over economic policies last year when the Communists voted with parties of the Right. The arrangement with the Centre Democrats last January ensured that the 102 Socialist deputies in the 263seat Parliament would have the support of the 41 Centre Democrats and so maintain a comfortable majority. The Socialist leaders rejected outright the proposal by the second largest party the Social Demcorats for inclusion in a Government of national salvation.