Paris, May 27 (ANI): French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde will undertake a global tour that will include stops in China, Brazil and India to rally support for her bid to become the next president of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In an interview given to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) at her Paris office, Lagarde said that she has officially launched her campaign to become the next IMF chief and rebuffed concerns that have emerged about her candidacy.
Lagarde, 55, said she not only hoped to get broad global backing for her bid, but also that one of her first priorities at the IMF helm would be to prove her autonomy from her current boss, conservative French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
"I would certainly prefer to be endorsed by a very large majority, rather than being the European candidate pushed by the Europeans," said Lagarde, adding that she was prepared to leave for China as early as Sunday to "explain what I think."
"The strength of my candidacy will be relying on my ability to be and show independence very early on," she added.
At a summit of Group of Eight leaders in Deauville, France, President Sarkozy praised Lagarde on Thursday and appeared to underscore broad support for her from other countries.
The U.S., on the other hand, has been careful not to show its hand, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that "unofficially," the country supports women in top jobs to head big organizations. (ANI)
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