Analysis
Market analyst Catarina Castro, Professor João Duque, and Martim Silva analyze the government’s choice to succeed Mario Centeno at Banco de Portugal and anticipate the main challenges it will have in the five -year term that, if Parliament gives Verde, faces.
Economist Álvaro Santos Pereira was chosen for governor of Banco de Portugal (BDP), succeeding in office to Mario Centeno, the government announced.
Álvaro Santos Pereira was Minister of Economics 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).
“By decision of the Council of Ministers, by proposal of the Minister of Finance, [o novo governador] It will be Professor Doctor Álvaro Santos Pereira, “announced Leitão Amaro, justifying the choice with the” highly recognized “curriculum of the economist.
“It is today the main economist of one of the major international organizations of the world economy. He is a profound knowledge of the Portuguese economy, a profound knowledge of the international economy, knowledgeable of the financial system,” he said.
At OECD, Álvaro Santos Pereira began by being director of national studies at the Department of Economics, a position he took over in 2014, later the departure of the Portuguese government. In 2024, he was appointed chief economist, replacing Clare Lombardelli.
From Portuguese and Canadian nationality, he was a professor of economic development and economic policy at Simon Fraser University and professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a professor at the University of York, the United Kingdom.
According to the Banco de Portugal Organic Law, the governor and other members of the Board of Directors are appointed by resolution of the Council of Ministers, on the proposal of the Government member responsible for the area of finance and after the reasoned opinion of the competent committee of the Assembly of the Republic. They hold their positions for a period of five years, renewable for once and for the same period.
Mario Centeno’s mandate ended on July 19 this year, but, as Luís Montenegro’s executive did not announce the successor before that date, the governor is still in office.
Leitão Amaro thanked Mario Centeno “the exercise of his function” and said that the current governor “is today and will continue to be [governador] in the coming days until it is replaced “.
The minister rejected, however, weave comments on the current mandate of Centeno: “I will not make here observations and reviews about Mario Centeno in his performance as governor, and thanked the service [ao país]”He said.
