(Bloomberg) -- Colombian inflation unexpectedly accelerated for a second straight month, making it less likely that the central bank will back the government’s calls for interest rate cuts at its March meeting.

Consumer prices rose 5.28% in February from the same month a year earlier, the statistics agency said Friday, surprising the majority of economists, who had expected it to return to its downward trend. The result was higher than predicted by all but one of 28 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, whose median forecast was 5.16%.

The increase was led by rents and utilities, education costs, restaurants and hotel services. Colombia targets inflation of 3%, plus or minus one percentage point.

One measure of core inflation, which excludes volatile food prices, accelerated to 5.44%, the first increase in 15 months.

Analysts are watching to see if Colombia’s monetary policy stance is affected by the addition of two new board members appointed by President Gustavo Petro. Academics Laura Moisa and Cesar Giraldo joined the board last month and will vote for the first time in the March 31 meeting.

Petro and finance minister Diego Guevara have repeatedly called for lower interest rates to boost economic growth, but the majority of the board have refused to heed them amid concerns about the widening fiscal deficit and more recently by the 10% increase in the minimum wage. Policymakers held borrowing costs unchanged at 9.5% in January.