France's Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said she is running as a candidate to head the Intrernational Monetary Fund, after she received wide European backing for the post.
"I have decided to present my candidacy" for the job, she told reporters, adding that she had made the decision "after mature reflection."
An EU source said on Friday that Lagarde, 55, was practically certain to become Europe's candidate, although she has been dogged by a French judicial probe into allegations of abuse of power.
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"I have a perfectly clear conscience" about that affair, she told reporters on Wednesday after her announcement.
