French Defence Minister says Lagarde to visit India to push for IMF top job

NEW DELHI - A senior official says French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde plans to visit India to push her candidacy for the International Monetary Fund's top job.

Defence Minister Gerard Longuet, who is on a two-day visit to India, told reporters Friday that Lagarde will visit New Delhi to begin her campaign for the job of managing director of the IMF.

India and other emerging nations have been calling for reform of the fund, which makes emergency loans to countries in crisis. However they have not come together with a common candidate to head the IMF.
The emerging economic powers say the choice of IMF head should be based on competence, not nationality. They have called for an end to the unwritten convention that requires the IMF head to be from Europe.

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