The former Chicago lawyer currently in the running to replace disgraced International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been bumped up a notch.
Christine Lagarde, 55, a former lawyer at Chicago firm Baker and McKenzie, came to the head of the pack as another lead candidate was recently disqualified, The Associated Press reports.
Lagarde was thought to also be running against Stanley Fischer, Israel's central banker and former second-in command at IMF. But in a statement from Washington Monday, the IMF did not mention Fischer among the top candidates.
The IMF named Lagarde and Agustin Carstens, Mexico's central bank chief, as the top two candidates.
Lagarde announced her candidacy in May and has since campaigned across the world. She already has visited India and China this month to gain support.
IMF's former chief, Strauss-Kahn, resigned in May after being accused of raping a hotel maid in New York. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
