New Delhi, June 1 (ANI): Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said the government has suggested to its executive directors in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to begin talks with other countries over the selection of the IMF chief.
Speaking to mediapersons after addressing the Editors' Guild of India at an event here, Mukherjee said directors would work out the modalities for choosing the right candidate for the prestigious post.
"Indeed there are four-five candidates. They have expressed their intentions. Mexican central bank governor (Agustin Carsten), then South African former finance minister (Trevor Manuel), now I got a telegraph couple of days back - Kazakhstan finance minister (Grigory Marchenko) has also expressed his desire, Singapore finance minister (Tharman Shanmugaratnam) is there," said Mukherjee.
"Christine Lagarde (French Finance Minister) is coming. We have suggested to our executive directors in the Fund to talk to various countries and work out the mechanisms through which we can try to find out an acceptable agreed candidate," he added.
A fierce succession battle for the coveted top IMF post was triggered after its head, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, resigned for his involvement in a sex scandal.
India has been talking with other emerging countries to build support behind a common candidate from a developing nation to head the IMF, with Mexico's central bank chief Agustin Carstens a possibility.
Following Strauss-Kahn's resignation, Europe has made it clear that it wants to stay in charge of the multilateral lender at a time when it is helping to bail out Greece, Ireland and Portugal.
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has emerged as a frontrunner for the top position, although her nationality may count against her.
A French national has run the IMF for 26 out of the past 33 years and the embarrassment over the Strauss-Kahn incident may make it difficult for Paris to make a case.
Strauss-Kahn, 62, is facing charges of sexual assault on a hotel maid in New York. He was recently released on a $1 million cash bail and is now placed under house arrest, as he awaits trial in his attempted rape case. (ANI)
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