Portuguese opposition leader survives confidence vote

Lusa news agency web site, Lisbon

After more than six hours of talks, the Socialist Party's National Political Committee approved a motion, on Friday [24 October], in support of its secretary-general, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues [involved in controversy connected with the ongoing investigations into an alleged paedophilia scandal at Casa Pia, Portugal's main orphanage]. The motion passed with the opposition of three senior Socialists and one abstention. [Passage omitted]

At the end of the talks, Socialist Party spokesman, Vieira da Silva, read the full text of the confidence vote, in which secretary-general Ferro Rodrigues is "lauded for continuing to fight for the truth, justice and the principles of the State of Law".

The motion condemns the "illegitimate attacks" (in the form of the publicly-released transcripts of tapped telephone conversations) [recently-published transcripts of conversations between him and other Socialist leaders in connection with ongoing Casa Pia court case] which have been conducted against Ferro Rodrigues, and which the motion describes as attacks on the republic's constitution which "violate the privacy rights" of citizens.