Lane in chasing pack for top ECB job - poll

Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann has dropped down the field after reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel might seek a top EU political post for her country

Central Bank chief also a contender for ECB chief economist role. Pic: Getty

The race to succeed Mario Draghi as president of the European Central Bank has a new leader, according to a Bloomberg poll of economists.

Jens Weidmann has dropped down the field after reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel might seek a top EU political post for her country rather than pushing the Bundesbank president to head the ECB.

The front-runner now is Erkki Liikanen, a former governor of Finland's central bank, though the chasing pack is tightly bunched, with French Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau andCentral Bank Governor Philip Lane close behind.