Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega says the new head of the International Monetary Fund should be chosen on the basis of skills, not nationality.

In a Friday telephone conference with journalists, Mantega criticized a decades-old custom of giving the top IMF post to a European with the top job at the World Bank going to an American.

The job is open because the previous IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of France resigned after he was arrested on sexual assault charges.

Two candidates for the top IMF post, Christine Lagarde of France and Mexico's Agustin Carstens have both sought Brazilian support in their campaigns to win the job.

News reports say top economic officials from other nations are also considering the post.

In Friday's discussion, Mantega did not support any particular candidate and said his government would examine the fitness of all contenders for the post. He said Brazilian officials will not compete for the top job.