The Washington Post, quoting “senior US administration officials” said it was “unlikely the administration will settle on a former senator, suggesting that such a profile does not ensure competence in overseeing the Bank”. Continue reading →

Reuters reports that South African finance minister Trevor Manuel signalled on Wednesday that he was not interested in succeeding Wolfowitz and added that he had not been approached directly about the job. Manuel couldn’t resist the opportunity for a well-deserved dig at the Americans: “I am a proud South African and the Americans see the World Bank’s presidency as their birthright.”

New York Post claims that Wolfowitz has split up with partner Shaha Ali Riza. They also say that “a World Bank source” told them that Riza may be returning to the Bank after Wolfowitz officially steps down end June. Which gets wbp.org to thinking – who else of the Wolfowitz coterie is going to hang around and for how long? Continue reading →

Washington thinktank, the Center for Global Development, has posted an online survey which allows respondents to rank nine potential candidates on their merits for the post, and to comment on what changes are needed to the process. Continue reading →

Very quiet, so far. Reuters reports that “Brazil, South Korea, China and Pakistan were among a group of developing nations that called for a more transparent process for selecting the head of the bank.” Continue reading →