In past years he has played drums in a white jumper and disco ball while descending from a ballroom ceiling at the opening of the Clarion Hotel Post in Gothenburg, Sweden.

FORBES: This Is Why I'm Hot, Billionaire Style

The IMF, established after World War II, has had seven managing directors, three from France - among them Mr Camdessus, who held the post for 13 years - two from Sweden and one from Belgium and the Netherlands.

BBC: Keohler

In 1994 he started a three-year spell with the Sweden Under-21 team before replacing Tommy Svensson in his current post.

BBC: Tommy Soderberg

Possible contenders include Carl Bildt, Sweden's foreign minister, who says he does not want the post, and Olli Rehn, the Finnish enlargement commissioner, who probably does.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

Eight foreign post offices from the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland and France have already established sales offices in Britain to compete for bulk mail contracts.

ECONOMIST: The Post Office

On its first two albums, Sweden's Shout Out Louds followed a similar formula by updating the dour post-punk of bands like The Cure and Joy Division with ragged guitar riffs, clean production and girl-boy vocal harmonies from singers Bebban Stenborg and Adam Olenius.

NPR: Shout Out Louds: Perfectly Pensive