Péter Vályi

Péter Vályi
Minister of Finance of Hungary
In office 14 April 1967 – 12 May 1971
Preceded by	Mátyás Tímár
Succeeded by	Lajos Faluvégi
Personal details
Born	25 December 1919 Szombathely, Kingdom of Hungary
Died	18 September 1973 (aged 53) Miskolc, People's Republic of Hungary
Political party	MDP, MSZMP
Profession	politician, economist

Péter Vályi (25 December 1919 – 18 September 1973) was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Finance between 1967 and 1971.

Career

He worked as a chemical engineer. He was arrested in 1945 because of his communist activities. He joined to the Hungarian Communist Party in the same year. From 1948 he worked for the National Planning Board. From May 1971 he served as deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers (Deputy Prime Minister). Vályi did considerable work in connection with the reform of the economic mechanism. He was a member of the MSZMP's Central Committee from November 1970.

Death

Vályi died as the consequence of a fall suffered during a visit at the Lenin Metallurgical Works in Miskolc on 18 September 1973. In the most dangerous part of the factory he fell into the casting pit. His body was trapped between the molds and by the time he has been pulled out, his nylon suit burnt onto his body. The CEO, who tried to help the deputy minister, also suffered burns. Vályi died in a hospital after long suffering.

Many conspiracy theories have been published after the incident. The reformist politician could stand in the way the political leadership of the Eastern Bloc. Interestingly few days before Vályi's death the Polish Deputy Prime Minister, who was also a pro-Western, died when hit by a car.^[1]

References

1. "Vályi Péter halála: zuhant vagy lökték?". Szabad Föld Online. Retrieved 2012-01-16.

External links

• Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon
• Death of Péter Vályi. Üzemi baleset. Történetek a Kádár-korszak tájékoztatáspolitikájáról. on YouTube