FRANKFURT: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will step down in February, months before her term ends, officials said Thursday, kicking off a race to succeed her against a turbulent backdrop in the eurozone and further afield.
"It has been a great pride and a huge privilege to serve this institution," Lagarde posted on X, announcing that she would resign nine months before her term officially ends in October 2027.
"I think that I leave this institution with a sense of good work done and an ECB that is fit for the future," she said.
Lagarde's early resignation opens the way for European leaders to choose a new ECB chief before French presidential elections in the spring, with officials fearing that a far-right victory could complicate talks to pick her successor.
