Enough wants Centeno’s hearing and IL proposes dismissal

Chega demanded this Monday a parliamentary hearing on the case of the Governor of the Bank of Portugal, and the Liberal Initiative announced that it had presented a project aimed at dismissing Mario Centeno.

Speaking to journalists in the Assembly of the Republic, President Chegi announced that the party had held a vote of censure in order for Parliament to express its “deep and strong condemnation of the conduct of the Governor of the Bank of Portugal for not aligning his institutional behavior with the impartiality and integrity necessary for the execution of this position ”

According to information provided by the party to reporters, Chega also submitted a request to the Budget and Finance Committee for an urgent hearing in the case of Mario Centeno.

Andre Ventura accused the former finance minister of “not only considering, but also being ready to become the leader of the PS,” which, in his opinion, “does not provide guarantees of impartiality.”

After the IL leader defended the dismissal of the Bank of Portugal governor this morning, MP Bernardo Blanco announced that the party had “presented to the government a project for the dismissal” of Mario Centeno.

On this occasion, Leader Chegi was asked about the dismissal of a case in which he was one of the accused due to a rally in support of his presidential candidacy held in January 2021, at the height of the pandemic.

Andre Ventura welcomed the decision and said he was “very happy” to begin the legislative campaign on March 10, “now that the process is already completed.”

“I believe that we must respect justice. Some decided to rush to judgment and say that we committed lawlessness and crimes. I have always said that I have an absolutely clear conscience and that this should be the result,” he emphasized.

Also speaking to reporters, the leader of the BE parliament noted that “the relationship between Mario Centeno and the PS is known,” recalling that he served as finance minister in the first government of António Costa.

Pedro Filipe Soares said that, apparently, there is an attempt to “distract attention” and “distract from the most important thing.”

“It seems to us that Antonio Costa’s decision to try to solve political problems with a technocratic government does not make much sense,” he said, referring to the proposal that Mario Centeno would lead a government without elections.

Speaking to the Financial Times on Sunday, the Bank of Portugal governor said he had received “an invitation from the president and prime minister to think and consider leading the government” and that he was “very far from doing so.” solution”.

Shortly thereafter, in a note published this Monday early in the morning on the official website of the President of the Republic on the Internet, the President of the Republic denied that he had invited anyone to head the Government, including the Governor of the Bank of Portugal, Mario Centeno, or any contact person authorized for this purpose.

On Monday morning, Mario Centeno clarified in a statement that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa did not invite him to lead the government.

“It is obvious that the President of the Republic did not invite me to head the government,” since he decided to dissolve the Assembly of the Republic, the governor said.

In a statement published this Monday on the website of the banking regulator, the governor specifies that, following the events caused by the resignation of Prime Minister António Costa on Tuesday, “he “invited him” to think about the conditions that could allow him to assume the role of prime minister. minister.”

“The invitation to this reflection was the result of conversations between the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic,” he said, pointing out that “there was never an acceptance of this position, but only an agreement to continue the reflection and conclude it in accordance with the decision that the President of the Republic will take” .