(Adds Oxfam comments, online survey in paragraphs 17 and 18)

By Caren Bohan and Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - World Bank shareholder nations on Wednesday called for a more transparent process to select the next bank chief but stopped short of picking a fight with the U.S. administration by demanding drastic changes.

President George W. Bush made clear in an interview with Reuters this week he wants an American to replace Paul Wolfowitz, who resigned over an ethics scandal involving a promotion and hefty pay rise he authorized for his companion.

The ordeal led some countries and anti-poverty groups to call for a more democratic process of choosing the next bank chief based on merit, not nationality.

In an informal agreement with Europe, the United States, the bank's largest shareholder, has selected the head of the World Bank since the institution's establishment six decades ago. Its sister organization, the International Monetary Fund, has always been led by a European.

Big European countries with seats on the World Bank's board have said they are not seeking to change those traditions.

Discussing a meeting on Wednesday of the World Bank board, board officials told Reuters there appeared to be a reluctance even among other countries to push a White House already wounded by the loss of Wolfowitz, a former Deputy Defense Secretary and architect of the Iraq war chosen for the job in 2005 by Bush.

Brazil, South Korea, China and Pakistan were among a group of developing nations that called for a more transparent process for selecting the head of the bank, which spends around $25 billion a year on programs to eradicate poverty.

"Countries want to move toward a more inclusive merit-based global process but the prevailing sentiment is that the Americans have been very bruised by this and are not very responsive to be pressed harder," said one board official.

The Bush administration has offered few clues about the type of candidate it is seeking for the World Bank, but people close to the White House said it was seeking a capable manager who will also pursue the anti-corruption agenda that Wolfowitz made a centerpiece of his tenure.

"It is essential that anti-corruption be a priority," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who is leading the search, has promised to consult widely, in a signal Bush will avoid candidates who would stir controversy such as Wolfowitz.

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The top contenders include former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, 53, and U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt, 59, according to Republicans sources.

Among other names mentioned are Stanley Fischer, 63, governor of the Bank of Israel; former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, 79; former U.S. Senator Bill Frist, 55, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, 53.

White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten's name has also circulated. Bolten, 52, would bring financial experience as a former senior executive at Goldman Sachs International, but it is unclear whether Bush would want to part with him.

Republican sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said neither Fischer nor Volcker looked likely to get the job.

The next head of the World Bank faces the tough task of transforming the institution and positioning it to tackle new global challenges like climate change and the economic rise of countries such as China and India, which are less interested in its money and more in its knowledge.

Oxfam, the development group, said the World Bank was an institution of 185-member countries and called on governments to name their own candidates for the job.

The Washington-based Center for Global Development think tank launched an online survey (www.cgdev.org) inviting participants to suggest and score candidates named in the media, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel. (Additional reporting by Glenn Somerville in Washington and Francois Murphy in Paris)

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