22 people have applied for the position of central bank governor. Among the most prominent are Deputy Governor Ida Wolden Bache and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
- Christian Temte Høst (19), student
- Arne Solvang Kristoffersen (28), customer service representative
- Tony Arne Sætre (54), supervisor
- Rune Malmedal (62)
- Elias Peltomaa Beisvåg (22), store employee
- Tor Ingar Os (46), plumber
- Andreas Carlsen (32). CEO
- Kurt Pettersen (56), employee
- Arnfinn Grønstad (70), pensioner
- Jon Stokka (21), baker
- Eiric Skaaren (44), chief Executive Officer
- Neilas Baranauskas (18), lærling
- Ali Reza Behbahani (51), jobseeker
- Torkel Rogstad (26), software developer
- Zhangir Azerbayev (20), student
- Ida Wolden Bache (48), Deputy Governor
- Ole Kristian Pettersen (68), retired
- Jens Stoltenberg (62), Secretary General
- Jacob Bjorheim (62), board member, visiting fellow
- Gunnar Oppi (63), pensioner
- Johannes Hagström (18), student
- Omar Schevik (60), project manager
–
–
Compete with the Deputy Governor
A quick review of the list of applicants shows few other applicants known from the Norwegian public. A solid exception is Deputy Governor Ida Wolden Bache (48). Bache is by the way the only woman of the total of 22 applicants on the list.
– I have applied for the position of central bank governor after dialogue with the Ministry of Finance. As Deputy Governor, I have a good picture of what the position entails, and am motivated for the job, says Bache to NRK.
When asked if it is time for Norway to have its first female central bank governor, Bache replied the following in October:
– I’m the last to comment, but I hope it happens one day.
– Not a tradition for politicians
Liberal Party leader Sveinung Rotevatn says he is skeptical of Stoltenberg’s candidacy. Rotevatn says it has nothing to do with his person, but that he on the contrary respects Stoltenberg as a politician.
Rotevatn says it has to do with the central bank governor’s independence.
– We have no tradition of party politicians entering this important position. It is very important that everyone can have confidence that the central bank operates independently of the day-to-day policy in everything from issues of interest rate setting to the Petroleum Fund’s investments.
Rotevatn believes that the former Labor leader’s “exceptionally close ties to the government”, both personally and party-politically, can create perceived uncertainty in this way.
– I see Stoltenberg saying that he is encouraged by the Ministry of Finance to apply for the job. I hope the Minister of Finance thinks about both one and two tongs before he possibly goes for such an appointment
Think Stoltenberg gets the job
Economist Knut Anton Mork sees two current names on the list of applicants: Deputy Governor Bache and Stoltenberg.
– There is no doubt about it. Now it is always the case that the list of applicants does not tell everything. The government hires who they want. This has always been the case, he says.
Chief economist Kjersti Haugland in DNB Markets thinks it is interesting that the Ministry of Finance has contacted Stoltenberg, and asked him to apply.
Haugland believes this indicates that the ministry has ignored the debate about whether it can be a problem to have a person with a heavy political background as central bank governor.
– Independence from politics in general has been seen as an important part of the central bank institution. That the Ministry of Finance encourages to apply, clearly states that the Ministry of Finance does not see this as a problem, Haugland says to NRK.
– Ergo, I think Stoltenberg will get the position. That was the clearest argument for me in favor of Stoltenberg, says Haugland.
Economist Mork is also surprised that Amund Holmsen is not on the applicant list. Holmsen is head of operations at the Ministry of Finance and was previously employed by Norges Bank, Mork points out.
