Mário Centeno, former governor of the Bank of Portugal and former Minister of Finance, stated on Wednesday that he prefers Government announcements, such as the pensioners' bonus and the IRS reduction, to be made within the State Budget instead of being announced on an "ad hoc" basis. These statements were made to the Lufusa agency at the end of a meeting of the International Club of Portugal held in Lisbon.
Centeno responded in this way when asked about Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's announcements during the debate on the motion of censure against the Government, refusing to provide further explanations on the matter. The former official emphasized that he would like to see budgetary measures included within a budget rather than announced on an ad hoc basis.
The former Minister of Finance also refused to comment on the possibility of interest rate hikes by the European Central Bank, apologizing for being "in those periods of silence that a former governor has to observe." Centeno stated that the country already knows what high and low interest rates are, as well as the effects of having more or less debt, considering that everyone has enough information to be cautious.
Regarding his political future, Mário Centeno said he is available for the country, but indicated that at this moment the functions and tasks he is dedicated to "do not involve that."
