Greece appoints economics professor as new IMF representative

Greece appointed economics professor Michalis Psalidopoulos as its new representative at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), its finance ministry said on Wednesday, after a ruling party backlash prompted a previous nominee not to take up the post.

Mr Psalidopoulos, a professor at the University of Athens, accepted Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis' proposal to represent Greece, the ministry said in a statement.

He has also been a professor at the US University of Tufts in 2010-2014 and will take over on June 29th, the statement added.

The government had previously nominated Elena Panaritis as their representative, but this prompted a backlash from the ruling Syriza party, which said her views clashed with Syriza's programme.

Reuters