IL defends BdP governor chosen by public tender

The president of the Liberal Initiative (IL) argued this Saturday that the appointment of the governor of the Bank of Portugal (BdP) should be made through a public competition and not by appointment, thus avoiding a political agenda for the position.

"IL has a completely different view on this matter, because we believe that these appointments should not be political, but rather made through a public selection process, as this allows for the elimination of suspicions of political interference in the position, by a governor with a possible political agenda," Mariana Leitão stressed.

The IL leader added that even the choice of the BdP governor is the one who “has the best track record.”

"We do not question the resume of the newly appointed Álvaro dos Santos Pereira. What we do not agree with is that these appointments continue to be made in this manner, to ensure the regulator's complete independence from political power, which is our proposal," Mariana Leitão emphasized.

For IL, Álvaro dos Santos Pereira, despite having been part of a PSD Government, “has always been an independent person, especially since he has been away from politics for several years now.”

"This situation is very different from that of former BdP governor Mário Centeno, who came directly from his position as Finance Minister in a Socialist Party-led government. We criticized him at the time and continue to criticize him, as it makes no sense, because it's a revolving door. We believe Álvaro dos Santos Pereira has a different level of independence. Political appointments always leave room for promiscuity," stressed the IL president.

When asked about the investment in the new BdP headquarters, Mariana Leitão said that it was a large investment and a process that was already underway, arguing that it was necessary to carry out "a more careful and very detailed evaluation of this process."

"We need to verify the cost/benefit of this operation and understand what was behind this decision to develop this project, such as the purchase of the land, and we will await the assessment that the Government itself will make, because Mário Centeno said that the Government was informed, that it has not yet commented on the matter," he argued.

Economist Álvaro Santos Pereira was chosen on Thursday as governor of the Bank of Portugal (BdP), succeeding Mário Centeno in the role.

The indication was made at the Council of Ministers meeting and announced at the end, at a press conference, by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, António Leitão Amaro.

Álvaro Santos Pereira was 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 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Mariana Leitão was speaking to journalists today on the sidelines of the public presentation of the IL candidate for the Bragança City Council, which took place in the historic center of this city in Trás-os-Montes.