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May 19, 2011 at 06:24 AM
In the wake of pressure to step down, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has resigned his position. Now the issue of prominence is who will succeed him and preside over the ongoing debt crisis in Europe. Emerging nations calling for a greater say in the functioning of the IMF would like to see one of their own in charge.
Currently incarcerated at Rikers Island in New York on sexual assault charges involving a maid at the Times Square Sofitel Hotel, Strauss-Kahn was arrested and taken from an Air France flight moments before takeoff on Saturday. He was denied bail at his first hearing and his attorneys plan to seek bail in another hearing scheduled for later in the day on Thursday, even as authorities investigate why the French-owned hotel waited an hour to report the assault to police.
In his resignation letter, Strauss-Kahn said, "I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me. I want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence." The letter, released by the IMF, was dated Wednesday.
As he remained in custody, the discussion over who should succeed him heated up, as emerging economies press for an end to the tradition, in place since 1945, that a European should head the fund. The succession process itself has come under criticism from no less than Mohamed El-Erian, who said in his blog on Monday that the IMF had "two choices if it has to replace DSK quickly: Retain its feudalistic approach, or implement an open merit-based selection process based on clear criteria and a transparent process."
According to El-Erian, "The first would allow the Fund to move quickly in appointing a new head, but doing so uses a method that lacks credibility and legitimacy. The second would correct a long-standing deficiency, but slow the appointment. Under either approach, the IMF would inevitably operate under a huge cloud."
