????通往這個職位的道路并非沒有曲折。默克爾與法國總統弗朗索瓦?奧朗德提起過這事，一般而言，應該由法國總統提名拉加德為候選人。但奧朗德可能不會這么做，他絕不想在有實權的IMF中失去一位親法者。因此，從技術層面，如果拉加德要加入候選人行列，她可能必須獲得一個泛歐政黨的提名。

????本月晚些時候，歐洲領導人們將從這些候選人中做出選擇。按歐盟據稱更為民主的條例，他們的最終決定必須考慮5月份的歐洲議會選舉結果。獲得提名的人選必須獲得歐洲議會多數通過。

????5月份的選舉結果顯示，最受歡迎的很可能是前盧森堡總理讓-克洛德?容克，也是默克爾起初支持的一位老派歐洲聯邦主義者。但英國的戴維?卡梅倫已經公開表示反對容克。因此，報道稱，種種幕后角力導致了默克爾與奧朗德之間的對話。

????參與這些政治斗爭，泯然于一群無足輕重的歐洲官員之列，對于拉加德而言可能是一種倒退。自從2011年她取代斯文掃地的多米尼克?斯特勞斯?卡恩成為“世界的銀行家”后，她就已經成了國際舞臺上冉冉升起的明星。嗯，可能就是這樣。

????確實，拉加德已經表態，她對主席一職不感興趣。畢竟，她當前的職務為她提供了一個很好的平臺，讓她可以就全球最緊迫的一些事務在國際對話中施加相當的影響力。這些事務涵蓋了從收入不平等加劇，到銀行改革，再到氣候變化的大量問題。

????不過，人們也不能怪默克爾有這樣的想法。這位德國總理以及歐洲其他很多最高領導人們無疑都被5月底歐洲議會選舉中反歐盟黨派支持率的飆升給嚇壞了。與此同時，拉加德還被視為共識締造者，她能夠應對歐盟成員國日益滋長的不滿情緒（英國計劃在3年內就歐盟成員身份舉行全民公投），同時給歐盟組織帶來積極的改變。

????當然，如果歐盟主席因為某種原因不起作用，總還有歐洲理事會主席這個職位。再或者，還有歐洲議會主席?；蛟S大家還不知道這些主席是誰。我們可以給你一點提示：他們中的一位曾經是比利時首相。（財富中文網）

????譯者：早稻米

????The path to the position is hardly straightforward. Merkel raised the matter with French President Francois Hollande, who generally speaking would be the one to put Lagarde forward as a candidate—something Hollande, who is loathe to lose a compatriot at the powerful IMF, is unlikely to do. So, technically, for Lagarde to be considered, she would likely have to be nominated by one or another pan-European political parties.

????Later this month, European leaders will choose from such candidates. As per the EU’s purportedly more democratic rules, they must factor into their decisions the results of May’s parliamentary election. The emergent nominee must then win majority approval of the European parliament.

????May’s election results suggest that the favorite may well be Jean-Claude Juncker, a former prime minister of Luxembourg and an old-school European federalist, who Merkel initially backed. The United Kingdom’s David Cameron, however, has been openly opposed to Juncker. Hence, the backroom negotiations that led to the conversation between Merkel and Hollande, according to reports.

????Getting involved in all that politicking merely to join ranks with a mélange of underweight Eurocrats, may sound like a step back for Lagarde, whose star has been rising on the international stage ever since she replaced the disgraced Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the “World’s Banker” in 2011. And, well, it probably is.

????Indeed, Lagarde has said she is not interested in the presidency. Her current job, after all, affords her a platform from which she wields considerable influence in a global conversation on the world’s most pressing issues—from rising income inequality to banking reforms to climate change.

????Still, one can’t blame Merkel for trying. The German Chancellor and many other top European leaders have no doubt been spooked by the dramatic gains made by anti-EU parties in late May’s elections. Lagarde, meanwhile, is regarded as a consensus-builder who can contend with the increasing dissatisfaction among EU member states—in three years Britain plans to hold a referendum on its membership—and bring positive change to the organization.

????If for some reason the EU Presidency doesn’t work out, of course, there’s always the role of President of the European Council. Or President of the European Parliament. Chances are you don’t know who holds these grand offices either. But hey, we’ll give you a hint: One of them used to be a Prime Minister of Belgium.