JAKARTA - INDONESIAN Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has been nominated to take over as chief of the central bank, officials said on Thursday.

Seen as the most influential woman in the country, Ms Mulyani was one of two nominees President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was considering to submit to parliament for approval, State Secretary Hatta Rajasa said.

'The president is selecting one of two central bank governor candidates to be submitted to the parliament. One of the candidates is Sri Mulyani,' he said.

He declined to reveal the other candidate's name.

The position has been vacant since Dr Yudhoyono chose Mr Boediono as his running mate for July 8 presidential elections last month.

Ms Mulyani has won plaudits for her no-nonsense approach to managing South-east Asia's biggest economy over the past four years.

She has overseen reforms in the corruption-ridden tax and customs departments, pushed for the elimination of wasteful fuel subsidies and won a reputation as a 'model regulator'.

Her task will be no less challenging at the central bank, which has seen its reputation dragged through the mud after a series of corruption scandals linked to the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. -- AFP