French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde announced on Wednesday her candidacy for the managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

"I have decided to present my candidacy for the head of the IMF," Lagarde told a news conference. The IMF's former chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned last week after being charged in the United States for sexual assault against a hotel maid.

The finance minister said she the decision was made after "mature reflection" and after consultation with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Lagarde said she will bring all her expertise "as a lawyer, a minister, a manager and a woman" to the job if elected.