French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, who has been on a whirlwind tour touting her credentials to head the International Monetary Fund, on Sunday won the backing of Egypt, Indonesia and the UAE.
In Cairo, Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi announced Egypt's support for Lagarde, who is running against Mexico's central bank chief Agustin Carstens and dark horse candidate Stanley Fischer, governor of the Bank of Israel.
"The Egyptian government supports the candidacy of French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde for the post of managing director of the IMF," the official MENA news agency quoted Arabi as saying, after he met Lagarde in Cairo.
The French minister said she was pleased with the "very affirmative" support she received in the Egyptian capital. "In this region, I have the honour of being supported by Bahrain, and of having the support of other Arab countries that have expressed themselves," she told reporters.
The United Arab Emirates also threw its weight behind Lagarde, with Finance Minister Obeid Humaid al-Tayer hailing the French minister's central role at G20 meetings under the rotating presidency of France.
In Indonesia, Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo backed Lagarde, describing her as a "professional person, very skilful in interacting between organisations, has high integrity and expertise." In Cairo, Lagarde said that under her leadership, the IMF would be dedicated to economic development in north Africa and the Middle East, where pro-democracy protests have swept the region.
She said earlier that she was "confident" of her chances of heading the IMF, while declining to comment on her Israeli rival for the post.
On Saturday, Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer - an American economist who took Israeli citizenship and previously held the number two post at the IMF - announced that he too was in the race.
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