Finland reacts strongly after EU elects candidate for IMF

Finance Minister Mika Lintilä on Friday described as "odd" that the Nordic welfare state and economic policies "are always praised internationally, but that praise has no impact on nominations".

Lintilä expressed his surprise following the election of Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva as the European candidate for the next managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

In the final round of the vote by European ministers of finance, she defeated former Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

Olli Rehn, Governor of the Bank of Finland, had been among the candidates, but pulled out of the race Friday afternoon at the time when there were three candidates left.

Talking to a Finnish language newspaper Helsingin Sanomat late Friday, Lintilä said that Rehn had emerged as number two in the first round of the email vote by European finance ministers.

Lintilä also took up Georgieva's age. She will be turning 66 this month while the rules of the IMF, according to Lintilä, require that the managing director is 65 when beginning the work.

Lintilä said he was not certain about the attitude of the IMF towards her candidacy. "I do not like the idea that rules would be changed during the process," Lintilä said.

Helsingin Sanomat reported that "a number of EU countries" keep resisting the idea that the rules at the IMF would be changed in order to appoint Georgieva. Such a change will require the acceptance of the United States at least, HS reported.

The incumbent managing director of IMF, Christine Lagarde has been appointed to lead the European Central Bank.