IMF says welcomes second contender for its top job

WASHINGTON, Aug 23 (Reuters) The International Monetary Fund on Thursday welcomed the nomination of a second candidate to succeed Rodrigo Rato as managing director and said anyone could put a name forward until applications close on Aug. 31.

''The board (of IMF executive directors) has emphasized that this will be an open and transparent process, and the nomination of another candidate is in keeping with that spirit,'' IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told a news conference.

Russia on Wednesday put forward former Czech premier and central bank chief Josef Tosovsky to take the helm of the IMF, challenging the candidacy of Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Kahn who until then had been the sole person in the race.

The Czech government was quick to say it supported Strauss-Kahn, not Tosovsky, highlighting the politically charged nature of competition for this coveted post.

Europeans have always run the IMF while Americans take charge of the World Bank, but developing nations resent this long-standing tradition and want change.

''The board has made clear that candidates can be nominated by anyone and can come from any country within the fund's membership,'' Rice said.

Once the application process closed at the end of this month, the board will invite candidates to Washington for discussions. It will meet again soon after and decide a timetable for the process at that point, Rice said.

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