Carneiro says PS will welcome Centeno "with open arms"

The PS secretary-general revealed this Saturday that he has already spoken with Mário Centeno, adding that he has ideas for the governor of the Bank of Portugal, who will be welcomed “with open arms” by the party after the Government did not re-elect him to the position.

In Vila Nova de Famalicão, Braga district, on the sidelines of the presentation of local government lists, the PS leader was asked by journalists about what position or role would be held in the future by the current governor of the Bank of Portugal.

"I have ideas. I should mention that I've already spoken with Mário Centeno. He now has two months of responsibility. When these two months of responsibility for the Bank of Portugal are over, we will naturally welcome Mário Centeno with open arms," replied José Luís Carneiro.

The PS secretary-general was also questioned about the next State Budget, about which he reiterated that he would not make prior agreements without first knowing the Government's proposal.

"We can only talk about what we know. Today, no one knows what doesn't exist. There's no budget yet; we'll wait for the proposal the government will present to the Assembly of the Republic. I believe it will be submitted on October 10th, the last day of the [local] election campaign. We'll wait for the proposal the government will present to serve our country, not specifically to serve the local elections," declared José Luís Carneiro.

However, the PS secretary-general listed the party's priority areas, admitting to having concerns, which are "the concerns of the Portuguese people."

"The first concern is income and wages. It's one of the most important concerns for younger people, the middle classes. We need to advance our economy to reach the European average wage as quickly as possible. Second, housing issues. Late Monday morning, I'll have answers on what constitutes, on the one hand, emergency housing responses, but then more structural housing responses," Carneiro said.

Another sector in which the PS is concerned is health and the National Health Service (SNS).

"It is incomprehensible that, as we approach the height of summer, the government does not have a properly structured coordination of hospital emergencies to provide predictability and safety to our fellow citizens, particularly in Greater Lisbon and also on the Setúbal Peninsula," accused the Socialist Party leader.