Lagarde says she hasn’t decided on seeking second IMF term

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said she hasn’t decided whether to seek a second term in the role.

“It’s possible,” Lagarde said in an interview on France 2 television. “I haven’t yet made a decision. It’s something that is both personal and professional.”

Lagarde, whose current five-year term expires in May, was appointed in 2011 amid discussion whether an emerging-market candidate should be considered for job for the first time. Since its creation in 1946, all 11 managing directors of the Washington-based fund have come from Europe.

As head of the institution, Lagarde has juggled issues ranging from giving financial support to Greece to whether to integrate China’s currency into the IMF’s special-drawing-rights basket.

The former French finance minister, who is 59, said she is “touched” by suggestions she run to become France’s president, though she is too “realistic” to focus on the idea. The next French presidential election is scheduled for May 2017.

[Bloomberg]