MILAN (Reuters) - The result of the forthcoming European parliamentary election will influence the choice of the next governor of the European Central Bank, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told Reuters on Friday.
Italy's Mario Draghi is due to stand down as ECB chief later this year, with EU leaders expected to pick his successor as part of a broader bargaining process on other top jobs that will kick off after the EU vote at the end of May.
Economists polled by Reuters in March favoured France's Benoit Coeure to succeed Draghi, with compatriot Francois Villeroy de Galhau and Germany's Jens Weidmann also seen as potential candidates.
However, Salvini, who is head of the far-right League, said nothing could be taken for granted. "We don't necessarily always have to chose between Paris and Berlin," he said.
"Let's wait for the vote on May 26. I think lots of things will change in Europe, even at the (EU) Commission level."
(Reporting by Sara Rossi; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
