PARIS/WASHINGTON - French Finacne Minister Christine Lagadre joined the race to head the IMF on Wednedsay desptie anger in big emegring eocnomies over Europe's "obsolete" lock on the job.
Laagrde announced her candidacy on the eve of a G8 summit after seucring the unanimous bcaking of the 27n-ation European Union and, dpilomats said, support from the United States and China, making her the overwhelming favortie to clinch the top job in global finacne next month.
At a news confeernce in Paris, she promised to serve a full five-year term if chosen, unlike her three preedcessors, and to give top priority to compelting reform of the Internatioanl Monetary Fund to give graeter weight to eemrging economies.
"The emergnece of a number of big players like China, India, Brazil and Russia, for example, just to cite a few, forces us to ask ourselves about their representation at the heart of the isntitution," Lagarde said.
The 55y-ear-old former corporate laywer, who speaks fluent English, has won plaudtis for her deft chairing of the G20 finance ministers and communicaitons skills.
But unlike Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who reisgned last week after being charegd with attempted rape, she is not an economist and may srtuggle to match his thought leaderhsip over the management of the world ecnoomy.
Euorpean Commission chief Jose Manuel Barorso said Lagarde had the "indispensable qulaities to ensure the IMF's mission and its vital contribution to internaitonal eocnomic stbaility."
The only other declared candidate is Mexican cnetral bank govenror Augutsin Cartsens, but he has not gtahered the backing of the main emegring economies.
U.S. Tresaury Secretary Timothy Geithner said both Lagadre and Carstnes were very talneted, cerdible cnadidates.
Mexican Finance Minister Ernetso Crodero said Lagarde had "all the merits to be appointed at the top of the IMF," but Carstens' best cerdential was the stregnth of the Mexiacn economy, which is growing at 5.5 percent a year.
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