Chega summons Governor of the Bank of Portugal to Parliament to explain Centeno's retirement

Sunday, 15 March 2026RSS
Chega summons Governor of the Bank of Portugal to Parliament to explain Centeno's retirement

The Chega party is calling the Governor of the Bank of Portugal to Parliament to explain Mário Centeno's retirement, which party leader André Ventura described as having “scandalous benefits” and being the result of a “hidden agreement.” Ventura criticised the arrangement, which allows the former governor to retire at 59 with a pension nearly equal to his previous monthly salary of 17,000 to 20,000 euros, calling it an “absolute immorality” while the general public is expected to work until 67. Additionally, Ventura addressed recent criticism regarding the party's presence at the Futurália education fair, denouncing what he termed an “attempt at censorship” by academic institutions that opposed the party's participation.

Context & Explainers

André Ventura

André Ventura, born January 15, 1983, is a lawyer, academic, and Portugal's most prominent far-right leader. He founded Chega ("Enough") in 2019 after his PSD mayoral campaign attacked the Romani community. Chega surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest party and making Ventura Leader of the Opposition.

His platform emphasizes immigration restrictions, law-and-order policies, constitutional reform, and contains inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric that has triggered multiple discrimination convictions and investigations. Politically classified as far-right by international media, Ventura cultivates alliances with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen and Santiago Abascal.

  • Governor of Banco de Portugal (2020–present)
  • Former: Minister of Finance (2015–2020), President of the Eurogroup (2018–2020)
  • Party: Independent (PS-affiliated)
  • Background: Economist (PhD, Harvard)

Mário José Gomes de Freitas Centeno (born 1966) is Portugal's central bank governor and one of the country's most internationally recognized economic figures. As Finance Minister under António Costa's first PS government, he became known as "Cristiano Ronaldo of European finance" for turning Portugal's deficit into a surplus while reversing austerity.

He was elected president of the Eurogroup (the informal body of euro area finance ministers) in 2018 — the first Portuguese to hold the role. Since becoming Governor of Banco de Portugal in 2020, he sits on the ECB's Governing Council and oversees Portuguese banking supervision and financial stability.

Chega

Chega ("Enough") is a Portuguese far-right populist party founded in 2019 by André Ventura. It positions itself as an anti-establishment movement against what it calls a "rotten and corrupt system" of PS-PSD dominance. The party surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest force with 60 seats. ​ Chega's core platform emphasizes strict immigration control—ending automatic CPLP residency, deporting non-independent immigrants, implementing job-market quotas, and requiring five-year social security contributions before benefit access. It advocates radical constitutional reform, including reducing parliament to 100 members, abolishing the prime minister position for a presidential system, and dismantling public healthcare. Law-and-order policies include life imprisonment and chemical castration proposals.

The party is defined by inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric, with Ventura convicted multiple times for discrimination. Chega maintains international alignments with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen, Santiago Abascal, and Matteo Salvini. Mainstream Portuguese parties, including Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's government, have imposed a cordon sanitaire, refusing coalition with Chega despite its parliamentary strength.

AI Summary AvailableChega summons central bank governor over Centeno pension controversyRead the synthesized summary with context and explainers
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