US President George W Bush today formally nominated US Defence Department number two Paul Wolfowitz,
a primary architect of the war in Iraq, to become World Bank chief.
Outgoing World Bank chief James Wolfensohn is due to step down in June after a decade in office.
Traditionally, the US nominates the president of the World Bank and Europe the head of the International Monetary Fund, under an agreement in force since the creation of those international bodies after World War II.
Wolfowitz, 61, is considered a leader of the US 'neo-conservatives' who pushed for war in Iraq and have argued that building a democracy there would spread reform throughout the Middle East, drying up support for extremist violence.
Last week, the lobby group co-founded by U2 lead singer Bono knocked down media reports that he was a serious contender to head the global institution that provides billions of dollars annually to help the world's poorest countries.
Bono's name first surfaced for the job in a Los Angeles Times editorial last month that endorsed the rock star as a credible candidate, based on his effective lobbying on behalf of African development. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.
Wolfowitz beat out former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who had also been a leading contender for the the World Bank presidency.
Wolfensohn, an Australian who became American to take the job, was appointed by President Bill Clinton. But he frequently clashed with Bush's Treasury Department, which decided it was time for a change.
