Latvia finance minister applies for Eurogroup presidency - sources

Latvia's Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola listens during an interview in Riga February 6, 2015. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/Files

RIGA (Reuters) - Latvian Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola applied for the position of Eurogroup president on Thursday, two Latvian sources told Reuters.

Reizniece-Ozola, 36, is expected to be one of several candidates for the key European post that is being vacated by Dutchman Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

Portuguese Finance Minister Mario Centeno is seen as a leading contender. Slovakia's Peter Kazimir is also mulling an application, according to sources in Bratislava.

The deadline for submitting applications is Thursday and euro zone finance ministers are expected to make a final decision at a Eurogroup meeting in Brussels on Monday.

(Reporting by Gederts Gelzis and Alastair Macdonald; Writing by Noah Barkin; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)