Luxembourg's Yves Mersch appointed to ECB Executive Board

BRUSSELS Nov 23 (Reuters) - Luxembourg's Yves Mersch won a position on the European Central Bank's Executive Board on Friday after months of dispute with European Parliament legislators who objected to his appointment because of a lack of women in the bank's senior ranks.

European leaders meeting in Brussels approved the appointment of Mersch, who is currently the governor of Luxembourg's central bank. Mersch will join the board on Dec. 15 for an eight-year term, the European Council said in a statement. (Reporting by Robin Emmott and John O'Donnell)