“The IL holds a completely different view on this matter, as we believe that these appointments should not be political, but rather made through a public competition to eliminate suspicions of political interference in the governor’s role, which might involve a political agenda”, emphasized Mariana Leitão.
The IL leader added that the selection of the governor of BdP should be “the candidate with the best resume”.
“We do not question the resume of the newly appointed Álvaro dos Santos Pereira. What we disagree with is the continuation of these appointments in this manner, to ensure the regulator’s complete independence from political power, which is our proposal”, insisted Mariana Leitão.
For IL, Álvaro dos Santos Pereira, despite having been part of a PSD Government, “has always been an independent person, as he has been away from politics for several years”.
“This situation is very different from that of the former BdP governor, Mário Centeno, who moved directly from being Finance Minister in a PS-led Government, which we criticized at the time and continue to criticize as nonsensical, for it is a revolving door. We believe Álvaro dos Santos Pereira has a different level of independence. A political appointment always leaves room for impropriety”, remarked the IL president.
When asked about the investment in the new BdP headquarters, Mariana Leitão stated that it involves a significant investment and is an ongoing process, advocating for “a more careful and very detailed evaluation of this process”.
“We need to assess the cost/benefit of this operation and understand the reasoning behind this decision, including land acquisition, and we await the evaluation that the Government itself will undertake, because Mário Centeno stated that the Government was informed, although it has not yet commented on the matter”, she argued.
Amongst incompatibilities and refusals, Luís Montenegro’s executive faced an odyssey until Álvaro Santos Pereira accepted, whom they contacted in the last two weeks. The aim was to find someone with an international profile and external recognition, with Ricardo Reis reportedly being the first choice.
Notícias ao Minuto with Lusa | 11:35 – 25/07/2025
Economist Álvaro Santos Pereira was chosen on Thursday to become the governor of the Bank of Portugal (BdP), succeeding Mário Centeno in the position.
The decision was made during a Council of Ministers meeting and announced at the end by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, António Leitão Amaro, during a press conference.
Álvaro Santos Pereira served as the Minister of Economy and Employment from 2011 to 2013 under Pedro Passos Coelho’s government (PSD/CDS-PP) and is currently the chief economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Mariana Leitão spoke today to journalists during the public presentation of the IL candidate for the Bragança City Council, held in the historic center of this transmontane city.
