Pablo Hernandez de Cos emerges as frontrunner in European Central Bank presidency race

As expectations grow that European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will step down before the end of her term, Pablo Hernandez de Cos has been pointed to as the most likely successor in a survey of economists.

According to the results of a survey conducted among economists, Pablo Hernandez de Cos has emerged as the most likely name to take the helm of the European Central Bank in place of Christine Lagarde. De Cos, the former governor of the Bank of Spain and an executive at the Bank for International Settlements, received the backing of 12 respondents, while Dutchman Klaas Knot was supported by nine participants.

The race in question is expected to take place well ahead of Lagarde's term expiration in October 2027. While only a third of survey participants predict that Lagarde will complete her term in full, this figure stood at 60 percent in a previous survey. More than two-thirds of participants think Lagarde could leave office by April 2027.

Speculation over who will succeed President Lagarde has accelerated after she stated that she could step down a few months early. While it is discussed that Lagarde could leave office in early 2027 to become the president of the World Economic Forum, she is also known to plan on publishing a memoir in January.