Christine Lagarde at Matignon? The former director of the IMF "loses her voice"

Europe 1 with AFP 7:51 p.m., April 14, 2022

Christine Lagarde refused Thursday to comment on the rumor placing her among the personalities to occupy a future post of Prime Minister in the event of re-election of Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée.

"I'm losing my voice," replied the President of the European Central Bank when asked about this rumor during the traditional press conference following the meeting of the Governing Council of the ECB.

President Emmanuel Macron leaves the suspense hanging over the person who will succeed Jean Castex at Matignon if he is re-elected in the presidential election on April 24.

The hypothesis of an appointment of Christine Lagarde has been circulating in the media for several months, long before Emmanuel Macron declared himself a candidate for a second term.

An idea of ​​Nicolas Sarkozy

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy would have suggested the idea to Emmanuel Macron, said the daily Les Echos at the start of the year and the rumor has not abated since.

The former Minister of Finance under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy has been installed since the fall of 2019 in Frankfurt as the first guardian of the euro, after having been director of the International Monetary Fund in Washington. 

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"I have a job, I have a function" declared the Frenchwoman in January at the microphone of France Inter to silence this rumor about her future.

Christine Lagarde, whose mandate at the ECB is scheduled to end in 2027, is "not in the habit of giving up along the way", she added. 

Christine Lagarde was all the more concerned about her voice on Thursday as she recently tested positive for Covid-19.

This forced her to participate exceptionally from her home in the press conference in virtual mode, as explained in the preamble by Wolfgang Proissl, head of communication for the institute.