By Ata Ufuk Seker
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AA) – The European Union has tapped Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva to succeed Christine Lagarde as head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Georgieva, who is currently serving as chief executive of the World Bank, defeated former Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem after two rounds of voting.
The voting came after Lagarde resigned as head of the IMF last month to take on a new role as the next head of the European Central Bank (ECB). She was managing director of the IMF since 2011.
“I congratulate Kristalina Georgieva with the outcome of today's European votes. I wish her the utmost success,” Dijsselbloem tweeted Friday night.
European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker also congratulated Georgieva on Twitter, saying, “You have all of the qualities needed to make an effective contribution to the IMF’s mission."