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Brasilia - French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde pledged to push reforms to give Brazil and other emerging economies more influence at the International Monetary Fund as she kicked off a global tour on Monday to win support for her candidacy to lead the global lender.
The backing of Brazil, Latin America's largest economy and an influential diplomatic power, could help ease discontent among developing countries over the long-standing practice of choosing a European to head the Washington-based IMF.
Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega was noncommittal over whether his government would support Lagarde or her only declared rival, Mexican central bank chief Agustin Carstens. But Mantega stressed the need for more reforms to give emerging economies a greater voice in the IMF.
Before Lagarde's visit, Brazilian officials said in private that President Dilma Rousseff is inclined to back the French candidate as long as she pledges to continue the reforms started under former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
"I'm committed to that," Lagarde told reporters at a joint news conference with Mantega in the capital, Brasilia.
Mantega said the crucial qualities for the next IMF head were experience, competence and commitment to reform, and that Brazil would wait for all candidates to present their cases before declaring its support.
"Brazil wants the philosophy of reform to be maintained by the new managing director," Mantega said after lunching with Lagarde, who will also meet Brazilian central bank chief Alexandre Tombini.
The 187-member IMF has approved reforms that will give emerging economies increased voting rights and board seats by the end of 2012. More than 6 percent of voting power at the fund will shift to developing countries such as China, which will become the third-biggest member nation.
Lagarde's visit to Brasilia is the first in a hastily arranged global tour that will also take her to India, China, Russia and Saudi Arabia. She is regarded as the strong favorite to win the post and has already gained the support of the G8 group of leading economic powers.
The favourite
The resignation of Strauss-Kahn, who stepped down as the IMF managing director to defend himself against sexual assault charges including attempted rape, has led to calls from developing countries to end the traditional European lock on the job.
EU nations are strongly backing Lagarde, arguing that a European leader is crucial at a time when the IMF is working with the euro zone to avert the risk of Greece defaulting on its loans and sparking wider financial fallout.
But some emerging economies have objected to another European IMF head, saying it is time to give other nations a turn to reflect a shift in global economic power to developing giants such as India and China.
South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan criticised the rich nation support for Lagarde, saying it breached a decision by the G20 group of leading economies for a more open selection process.
Mantega reiterated Brazil's stance that the next IMF leader should be chosen on merit rather than nationality and that the growing influence of emerging economies should be recognized in the process.
In private, however, Brazilian officials said they see Lagarde as having more clout to push reforms at the IMF than Carstens, who arrives in Brazil on Wednesday to push his candidacy. The IMF has a June 30 deadline to pick a successor.
Mexico and Brazil have maintained cool ties in recent years and have occasionally vied for economic and political leadership in Latin America.
Lagarde's main obstacle is the possibility of an inquiry into her role in a 2008 legal settlement involving paying millions of euros to businessman Bernard Tapie, an ally of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Neither IMF candidate is expected to meet with Rousseff, who has maintained a lower profile than her outspoken predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
