PS leader calls for Mário Centeno to continue at Bank of Portugal

The leader of Portugal’s socialist PS party, José Luís Carneiro, thinks that Mário Centeno should continue on for a second term as governor of the Bank of Portugal in the “national interest”.

He said over the weekend in Guimarães that Mário Centeno, who is set to leave his post at the end of this month, had both “national and international prestige” and that his status should be taken into account.

“We’ll await the decision from the government, but it is evident that Dr. Mário Centeno has prestige in the country and overseas and this status should, in my opinion, be taken advantage of and not doing so means not properly defending the interest of our country,” said José Luís Carneiro.

José Luís Carneiro recalled that “Mário Centeno is one of the most respected former finance ministers and central bankers in Europe”, which is why he considered that “we must have the ability to recognise the value of others, regardless of whether they are from our party or not”.

The government is currently exploring different candidates and will make an announcement on Friday.