Washington: The US on Tuesday declared its backing for the "exceptionally talented" French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde's candidacy to head the IMF, on the eve of a board meeting that is set to elect the successor to Dominique Strauss Kahn.
"I am pleased to announce our decision to support Christine Lagarde to head the International Monetary Fund," Geithner said in a written statement.
"Minister Lagarde's exceptional talent and broad experience will provide invaluable leadership for this indispensable institution at a critical time for the global economy," he said.
Lagarde, 55, is expected to be chosen as early as Tuesday to become the first woman to head the IMF. She would replace Strauss-Kahn, who resigned last month as managing director after being charged with sexually assaulting a New York city hotel housekeeper.
The statement said the United States was "encouraged by the broad support" Lagarde had secured from IMF member countries, "including from the emerging economies." It commended Mexican central bank governor Agustin Carstens, who
is also vying for the job, "on his strong and very credible candidacy."
By throwing its support behind Lagarde, the US has essentially ensured that she will become head of the IMF, continuing the tradition of having a European in the post but also breaking new ground as the first woman to be chosen.
US officials had maintained a studied silence about who they believed should replace ousted IMF chief Strauss-Kahn, apparently hesitant to weigh in on a global debate about whether the fund should be led by a banker from a non-European country, Washington Post said in a report.
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