Chega accuses Bank of Portugal governor of favouring government
The leader of Portuguese populist party Chega – now the leading opposition party in the parliament – André Ventura, has accused the Governor of the Bank of Portugal, Mário Centeno, of deliberately massaging growth forecasts for the Portuguese economy higher than they actually were in the run-up to the May 18 general election to favour the Democratic Alliance coalition party (AD).
In other words he is suggesting that the voters were hoodwinked into thinking that the Portuguese economy was doing better than it was and would therefore be in safer hands with the Luís Montenegro government.
On Friday, André Ventura announced that he was requesting a hearing in parliament at which Mário Centeno would be grilled and asked if he had released the downward revised growth forecast for the Portuguese economy after the election in order to favour the government.
At a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Lisbon, André Ventura said “it is strange that only today, a few days after the elections, the Bank of Portugal [BoP] will revise downwards the forecast of economic growth for next year”.
The leader of Chega accused the BdP of trying to “hide the reality from the Portuguese during the election campaign”, considering that this data “was important (to help the voters) choose”.
So far, the PS Socialist Party is closing ranks, calling for Mário Centeno to be reappointed to lead Portugal’s central bank while accusing the Chega leader of ignorance.
Mário Centeno’s term was due to be up on July 20, but the former Eurogroup leader has said he is open to continue on at the bank, although the decision is now in the hands of the AD.
“Professor Mário Centeno is probably one of the most qualified people in Portugal and it would take a lot of justification, or a very plausible justification, for his non-renewal,” said PS MP António Mendonça Mendes in statements to the Lusa news agency.
2025. MANUEL DE ALMEIDA/LUSA
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