Péter Vályi

The native form of this personal name is Vályi Péter. This article uses the Western name order.

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 bz 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.

External links

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

Political offices
Preceded by Mátyás Tímár	Minister of Finance 1967–1971	Succeeded by Lajos Faluvégi