Governor of the Bank of Israel Prof. Stanley Fischer has little chance of becoming the next head of the IMF, Minister of Finance Yuval Steinitz told “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal) today. "The chances are not great. There are obstacles in his path, and the governor is a cautious man, so he waited."
Steinitz continued, "The main obstacle is his age, and I hope that he'll overcome it. The problem is that the election is political, but it's hard to find someone more suitable than Stanley, both professionally and because he was the deputy director at the IMF."
Steinitz said, "We wish Stanley Fischer success and this is an honor for us. This is a win-win situation: if he wins, this is an honor for Israel; if he doesn’t win, we'll keep an outstanding governor."
Asked if the candidacy was just a springboard for the next job, Steinitz replied, "I think that Stanley Fischer asked for a second term, and he responded with goodwill and the intention of continuing to stabilize the Bank of Israel and the Israeli economy."
"IDF Radio": Are there candidates to replace Fischer?
Steinitz: "There are no candidates. The day is far off until this becomes necessary. We're not at the search stage yet. Our working assumption is that Fischer will stay here."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 12, 2011
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