Lagarde to audition with IMF board for top job

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde is set to appear before the IMF board in Washington, DC Thursday to make her case for the top job. The board will choose between Lagarde and Mexico's central bank head Agustin Carstens by June 30.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde made her case to become the next leader of the International Monetary Fund, vowing to promote reforms to make the power lender more representative of the global economy.Lagarde said she had "productive" one-on-one meetings with IMF executive directors Wednesday and early Thursday in Washington, before a three-hour interview with the 24-member board in the afternoon.

The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that Greece may get the next tranche of its bailout financing by end-September."The IMF executive board could be in position to consider approval of the next disbursement towards the end of September," Fund spokesman David Hawley said at a news briefing.The IMF, the European Union and the European Central Bank extended a 110-billion-euro ($157.9 billion) lifeline to Greece in May 2010 as the eurozone country teetered on the brink of a sovereign debt default.The IMF pledged 30 billion Euros to the package.

AFP - French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde made her

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, the leading candidate to take over as head of the IMF global lender, will visit Washington next week, her ministry said Friday.Lagarde will fly out on Tuesday for Washington and remain there until Thursday, a member of her entourage said but did not specify if she would meet the International Monetary Fund's executive board.

By Simon Johnson