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Roberta Metsola new President of the European Parliament
The Christian Democratic Maltese Roberta Metsola has been elected the new President of the European Parliament. Photo: Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
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She is the third woman in the post and the youngest person ever: Maltese Roberta Metsola has been elected the new President of the European Parliament.
The Christian Democrat Roberta Metsola is the new President of the European Parliament. The MEPs in Strasbourg elected the 43-year-old as their leader in the first ballot on Tuesday with 458 out of 616 valid votes cast.
Metsola is the third woman to hold the prestigious post and the youngest person ever in Parliament’s history. She succeeds the Italian Social Democrat David Sassoli, who died unexpectedly last week and whose term of office would normally have expired in January.
Metsola’s candidacy was supported by the Bavarian group leader of the Christian Democrats in the EU Parliament, Manfred Weber (CSU). Weber originally claimed the post himself, but then gave it up.
Enforced against applicants
Metsola prevailed against applicants from two other factions on Tuesday, her birthday. The left had sent the Spaniard Sira Rego into the race, the Greens the Swede Alice Bah Kuhnke. The Social Democrats and the Liberals had not put forward their own candidates and supported Metsola. In return, they should, among other things, each provide one more vice president than before, according to parliamentary circles.
Metsola, who studied European law, has been a member of the European Parliament since 2013 and has been its first vice president since November 2020. She made a name for herself as an advocate of the rule of law and as a fighter against corruption. She is married to a Finn and has four sons. Metsola said immediately after her election that she was honored by the responsibility that was entrusted to her.
The fact that the European People’s Party, which also includes the CDU and CSU, is now the President of Parliament was part of a complex personnel package after the 2019 European elections. Accordingly, it was the turn of a Social Democrat – Sassoli – after two and a half years, a Christian Democrat should follow.
The President of the European Parliament directs all activities of the plenary, maintains order during sessions, gives speakers the floor and signs laws. The last German incumbent was Martin Schulz, who headed the parliament from 2012 to 2017.