Having clinched the support of the European Union, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde plans to announce her candidacy to be the new leader of the IMF on Wednesday, sources tell Reuters. Lagarde, who would be the first woman in the post, would replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who had to bail on the job after a hotel maid filed sexual-assault charges against him. The EU appears to have finally reached a consensus on backing her. A diplomatic source said, “Some countries are less positive than others but, as there are no alternative candidacies, Mrs. Lagarde’s is obvious.”
