By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – The Dutch government supports a possible candidacy by former De Nederlandsche Bank President Klaas Knot to succeed Christine Lagarde as president of the European Central Bank, according to the Dutch Finance Ministry.

A Finance Ministry spokesperson confirmed the government's support to Dutch news agency ANP, the agency reported on Wednesday.

The ministry noted that a number of senior international monetary positions would become vacant for which Knot would be a strong candidate and said his possible candidacy for the ECB presidency should be seen "in that context," according to ANP.

The wording stopped short of indicating that the Netherlands had formally nominated Knot for the ECB presidency. ANP reported that the government supported his "possible candidacy" — "eventuele kandidatuur" in Dutch — rather than that a formal nomination had been made.

Knot stepped down as DNB president last year after 14 years in the post, during which he was a member of the ECB Governing Council. He has long been regarded as a potential contender to succeed Lagarde.

Lagarde's non-renewable eight-year term as ECB president ends October 31, 2027, but she has repeatedly flirted publicly with a potential early departure, and most recently only committed to not leaving her position before the end of 2026.