Christopher Konty

MA in Development Economics - University of Bern

PhD in Economics - Pembroke University

**Christopher "Chris" Konty PhD** (born 17 August 1970) is a Wiltshirian economist and banker who served as the Governor of the Wiltshire Reserve from the organization's founding until August 3022. Previously acting as Chairman of the Juneville Depository and later as Executive Officer of the Treasury's Interest Rates Subcommittee, Konty has been a fixture of Civil Service and behind-the-scenes financial services in Wiltshire for over a decade. His most notably work came during the 3017 Corporate Depression, in which his mandate as Chairman of the Juneville Depository was used to negotiate a bailout agreement with the Wiltshire government. He is often credited with the stability of the Depository.

Konty is seen by many as a safe pair of hands with respect to financial and economic matters. In 3020, he was appointed by President Gaius Selan to head up the new Wiltshire Reserve, an institution constructed to balance the power of the Wiltshire Treasury. The Governor of the Wiltshire Reserve is the Civil Service-head and co-head alongside the Chancellor of the Exchequer. As Governor, Konty has consistently resisted calls to reactionarily adjust government-bond interest rates.

On 18 August 3022, Konty announced his resignation from the position of Governor in order to run for a seat on the Wiltshire National Assembly, where he would stand as a candidate for the Stability Party of Wiltshire.

## Siliotti-Konty controversy

During the Siliotti Chancellery, the Labour government of Mark Edwin was facing a summer of stagnant economic growth. Elected on the platform of maintaining the recovery-era growth of the Audrick Hill post-independence administration, Edwin's fears that slowing growth could impact the Labour government's chances of winning the next election led to his ordering of the then Chancellor, Alberto Siliotti, to slash interests rates in the hope of artificially boosting economic activity in the run up to a fall general election.

Konty, as Governor of the Wiltshire Reserve, held an emergency meeting of the Council for Economic Growth and Budget Responsibility, a committee established by Hill, to discuss the announcement made by Chancellor Siliotti. In his efforts, Konty described the risk of price inflation and damage to the stability of the mark in Wiltshire as "severe" under Edwin and Silotti's plan.

He noted that the previous year, 3019, saw many international economists question Wiltshire's inclusion in the corporate mark due to the instability caused by the 3019 political crisis and subsequent depression, which risked the integrity of the mark outside of Wiltshire. In allowing such uncertainty of interest rates to return, Konty argued, would see such doubt in Wiltshire return. This, in the eyes of the Reserve, would risk Wiltshire's ability to genuinely recover at all and could not be allowed to take place.

Chancellor Silotti called Konty "overly cautious" for his actions, stating that an unelected Reserve Governor could not stop the Chancellery, and by extension the Treasury, from amending the bond terms and conditions. Konty threatened to resign the same afternoon, forcing President Gaius Selan to order the Treasury to hand over full operational control of government bonds to the Reserve, where the Chancellor is merely co-head.

The controversy led to many praising Konty's sound economic leadership, while others cited it as civil service intereference against the progressive agenda of the Edwin-Siliotti government.

Following the EFR-WEA electoral scandal, Mark Edwin was recalled as Prime Minister and, as such, Siliotti was replaced as Chancellor of the Exchequer by conservative Jack Wilson. During his almost two-year Chancellery, Wilson never sought to amend the bond interest rate.