The architect of Portugal’s austerity drive under the joint European Union – International Monetary Fund bailout has turned in his resignation amid swelling public discontent over the pain austerity causes.

Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar was undone by a general strike of Portugal’s two largest unions, which brought the nation to a standstill last week.  The 52-year old former central bank bureaucrat led Portugal’s efforts to balance its finances by implementing unpopular tax hikes, state job layoffs and spending cuts.

His resignation letter to center-right Prime Minister Pedro Passos cited the growing erosion of public support for austerity, while asserting his opinion of the need for the government to stay the course – just not with him at the helm.

This comes, as the austerity economy grows worse. Unemployment is expected to rise to a record 18.2 percent, with youth unemployment skyrocketing to 42 percent.  Portugal’s public debt rose to 10.6 percent of the country’s economic output in the first quarter of 2013 and tax receipts are plunging.