2011.03.0709:45:00UTC+00Hungarian Central Bank Nominees Say Will Remain Impartial

The two new nominees to the Hungarian central bank's rate setting body said they will be immune to any political pressures, reports said Monday.

Andrea Bartfai-Mager and Ferenc Gerhardt, who were nominated by the ruling party to fill two of the four vacant seats in the monetary policy committee, also underscored the need to maintain price stability and fight inflation. They were replying to queries from opposition party members in the economy committee.

To a question on possible political bias in her policy decisions, Bartfai-Mager said that all through her career she had proved her professional integrity and impartiality.

"There have always been professional debates in the Monetary Council, and I hope there will be more in the future as well," B?rtfai-Mager was reported as saying by the online financial journal Portfolio.hu.

The journal also quoted Gerhardt as saying that the base rate will probably remain unchanged at the current 6.00% in the months to follow. The latest hike was "especially interesting due to the large split" in the MPC, he said, adding that "the inflationary pressure on the country and on the region is indisputable."