IMF Chief Lagarde Calls Merkel ‘Unchallenged Leader’ in Germany
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International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the “unchallenged leader” of the euro area’s largest country and has been pivotal in keeping the 17-nation bloc together.
Merkel, 58, who is running for a third term in September, called for a stepped-up fight against youth unemployment, now more than 50 percent in Greece and Spain, at the European Union summit in Brussels last month. She has been a proponent of tight spending throughout the crisis, and urged Greece to maintain austerity to stay in the euro.