An independent voice
Economists' might differ on who the next central bank president should be, but they are united in their demands for a candidate that will be free from political pressure.
"The candidate shouldn't be more loyal to a party than the tasks set forth in [legislation] ," said Ryszard Petru, the chief economist of Bank BPH. Speaking at a PKPP Lewiatan-organized conference, a group of economists also said they see knowledge of English as essential to the job.
Although the new chief will need to be apolitical, that does not necessarily mean he can't be a politician. The chief economist of the Polish Business Council (PRB), Janusz Jankowiak, claims that he wouldn't mind a politician as the head of the central bank, pointing out that the current president, Leszek Balcerowicz, was a politician.
Jankowiak underlined that the central-bank president's decision-making competences are not that large and therefore his or her influence on monetary policy is limited. However, s/he has a major influence on the central bank as a state institution. "There are 400 managerial positions to fill and it's the president who makes these decisions," Jankowiak said.
The economists are divided as to whether or not the candidate should be a supporter of the euro. But they are sure that the new central-bank chief needs to watch what s/he says. "Professor Urszula Grzelońska's recent comments about the eurozone has cost us zł.4 million," ING's chief economist Mateusz Szczurek said, pointing to a fall in bond prices following remarks by the Law and Justice candidate to replace Balcerowicz. Grzelońska said she had growing doubts at to whether Poland should join the eurozone.
From the three candidates mentioned for the post (the two others being the Minister of Finance, Zyta Gilowska, and the Mayor of Łód, Jerzy Kropiwnicki), Petru claims that Grzelońska would be the best option. Jankowiak, on the other hand, thinks that the new president will be someone from outside the current list of favorites.
