The World Bank board is meeting today to discuss the process of selecting the new president following the resignation ofPaul Wolfowitz yesterday.
Mr Wolfowitz announced his resignation to take effect on June 30thafter his handling of a high-paying promotion for his companion.
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said he would help President George W. Bush in identifying a US nominee after consultations with other World Bank member countries.
While the White House cautioned it was too early to speculate over his successor, names being tossed around in the US media included former Deputy US Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, Deputy US Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmit and even Tony Blair, Britain's outgoing prime minister.
Others included Stanley Fischer, governor of the Bank of Israel, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister, Trevor Manuel, South Africa's finance minister, and Kermal Dervis, former Turkish minister for economic affairs.
The United States, the bank's largest shareholder, has named the World Bank chief since it led the establishment of the bank and its sister organization, the International Monetary Fund, more than 60 years ago. By tradition, the head of the IMF is a European.
Mr Wolfowitz was always a controversial choice because of his role in the US-led invasion of Iraq while at the Pentagon. Europeans, who were Mr Wolfowitz's biggest foes and called for him to resign over the promotion scandal, grudgingly accepted his nomination by Mr Bush in 2005. Lingering misgivings over the US administration's choice often bubbled to the surface in decisions such as Mr Wolfowitz's anti-corruption campaign.
While few countries have directly challenged the tradition of the White House selecting the World Bank chief, many have said there needs to be wider consultation on candidates. World Bank staff, anti-poverty and development groups called for a selection process based on merit, not nationality.