Argentina's Macri wants central bank chief to resign - media

Market-favourite Macri, the conservative mayor of Buenos Aires city, is campaigning on a mandate to unwind state controls on the currency and trade that critics blame for stunted investment and stalled growth in Latin America's No. 3 economy.

"I hope that some officials would have the dignity to resign, like Alejandro Vanoli," the daily El Cronista quoted Macri as telling reporters on the sidelines of a conference with business leaders, referring to the central bank chief.

"Vanoli does not have the credentials for the job. He is a militant," Macri said in some of his strongest remarks yet on the central bank's waning independence under Fernandez's leadership.

An organizer of the event present during Macri's remarks confirmed the comments.

Macri's campaign team could not confirm the comments, but Vanoli reacted by sending a tweet saying: "the voters will have the last word."

"It is obvious that Mauricio Macri lacks respect for the central bank as an institution," Vanoli said via Twitter. "It is clear that he wants a neo liberal central bank."

Vanoli was named president of the central bank in October last year. Under his watch, the central bank has not resisted the expansive fiscal policies of outgoing President Cristina Fernandez amid high inflation.

Macri reiterated his campaign pledge to remove controls on the currency that prevent it floating freely and restrict importers' access to dollars. He is running second in the presidential race to ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli.

"The market will determine the exchange rate, we will not intervene," a second newspaper, Ambito Financiero, quoted Macri as saying.

Macri's Let's Change alliance came second in party primaries on Sunday, winning 30 percent of the vote against the ruling party's 38.4 percent.

The results showed Scioli for now lacks the voter support to win outright in the first round on Oct. 25, paving the way for a tight run-off in November.

Macri told the business forum he was open to dialogue with his rivals but appeared to rule out striking a deal with the third-placed candidate, dissident Peronist Sergio Massa, until after the first round in October.

"You have to understand that the primaries were like the first half of a match and you can't change the team at half-time," Macri said.

(Reporting by Richard Lough and Maximiliano Rizzi; Editing by Diane Craft and Edmund Klamann)