IMF picks Lagarde to face early test with Greece

France’s Christine Lagarde will confront a major, deepening crisis when she takes over as the first woman leader of the International Monetary Fund next month as Greek protests rock the eurozone.

The French Finance Minister, respected for her leadership during the financial crises that have shaken Europe over the past three years, has been tapped by the Fund’s executive board to take up the five-year job from July 5.

Her victory on Tuesday came after Brazil, Russia, India and China joined the United States and Europe in endorsing her, dashing efforts by some emerging economies to break Europe’s 65-year lock on the job.

Lagarde replaces fellow countryman Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF chief since 2007, who resigned on May 18 after being arrested in New York for allegedly sexually assaulting a Manhattan hotel maid. He has denied the charges.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office declared the pick a “victory for France,” while British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne welcomed the “good news for the global economy.”

Lagarde’s choice over Mexican Central Bank head Agustin Carstens was expected but not assured until Washington gave her its decisive endorsement and the BRIC countries added theirs.

The 55-year-old lawyer, a divorced mother of two and Finance Minister since 2007, was chosen by consensus rather than a vote of the 24 executive directors.

The Fund, which plays a crucial but often controversial role in aiding countries in financial straits, was left reeling after Strauss-Kahn resigned in the middle of tense negotiations over Greece’s massive bailout.

Though not an economist, Lagarde has gained wide respect as France’s point-woman during its leadership of the G20 as well as in European debt talks.

She faces an immediate crisis on the job with Greece, where protesters and police battled in the streets on the eve of an expected parliamentary vote on the IMF and EU-dictated austerity programme to help the country avoid default.

The measures are expected to add to the hardship in its ravaged economy.

“If I have a message this evening about Greece, it is a call to the Greek opposition for it to join in national unity with the party which is currently in power,” Lagarde urged in an interview on France’s TF1 television.

Looking ahead, she needs to advance reforms of the global finance system to protect against systemic weaknesses coming from some of the most powerful economies, including Europe and the United States.

She also must deliver on promises of a bigger role in the IMF for the BRICs.

“India looks forward to governance and quota reforms of the Fund to reflect global economic realities,” India’s IMF director, Arvind Virmani, said in a statement endorsing Lagarde.

There were also calls for the IMF to make the process of choosing its managing director more transparent, including from Mohamed El-Erian, head of the investment giant Pimco and a one-time candidate for the position.

“She should waste no time in establishing a legitimate selection process for the next managing director that is truly based on merit,” he said.