ATHENS: Greece appointed economics professor Michalis Psalidopoulos as its new representative at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), its finance ministry said on Wednesday, after a ruling party backlash prompted a previous nominee not to take up the post.Psalidopoulos, a professor at the University of Athens, accepted Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis’ proposal to represent Greece, the ministry said in a statement. He has also been a professor at the U.S. University of Tufts in 2010-2014 and will take over on June 29, the statement added.

The government had previously nominated Elena Panaritis as their representative, but this prompted a backlash from the ruling Syriza party, which said her views clashed with Syriza’s programme.