The International Monetary Fund’s 24-member executive board will meet Thursday to begin the process of selecting a new leader, said John Lipsky, the IMF’s acting managing director, The Associated Press reports.
“We want this to happen as expeditiously as possible,” Lipsky said.
His comments came shortly after Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urged the IMF to quickly select a new chief through an open process.
Lipsky took over this week after former chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid. Strauss-Kahn, who is has denied the charges, resigned late Wednesday. That set up a scramble to choose his successor.
Traditionally, the head of the IMF has been a European while an American has run the World Bank. Developing countries have long chafed at that arrangement and are pushing for officials from their countries to be considered this time.
The United States will play a critical role in the selection. The U.S. has the most votes among any individual country, although collectively Europe carries the most weight.
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