“The person who has been selected must assume their new role. This new role requires a strict independence from government policy, otherwise it will not fulfill its role as president of the Bank,” stated Gouveia e Melo, after being received by Sintra Mayor Basílio Horta and before visiting the facilities of the new hospital in the municipality.
When asked if the position should be more independent, given that Socialist Mário Centeno is departing after just one term and the new governor is from the social-democratic area, the retired admiral noted that the Bank of Portugal “must have maximum independence from the Government,” as that is “its role.”
“And then, of course, the selection is up to the executive branch, which should essentially select a competent person. Hence, I believe the competence of the selected person is not in question,” he asserted.
Economist Álvaro Santos Pereira was chosen today as governor of the Bank of Portugal (BdP), succeeding Socialist Mário Centeno in the role, the Government announced.
The decision was made during today’s Council of Ministers meeting and was announced at the conclusion, during a press conference by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs António Leitão Amaro, who justified the change as a “better choice” than the reappointment of the former Socialist finance minister.
Álvaro Santos Pereira served as Minister of Economy and Employment from 2011 to 2013 in the government of Pedro Passos Coelho (PSD/CDS-PP) and is currently the chief economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
