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As of this January 18, the Maltese Roberta Metsola will preside over the European Parliament, thus becoming the first woman to hold the position in 20 years. The curator succeeds David Sassoli after his unexpected death last week. Metsola presents herself as a defender of women’s rights, but in Europe her position against abortion is well known.
Roberta Metsola begins the year presiding over the Parliament of 705 members of the European Union (EU). The Maltese MEP won overwhelming support this Tuesday, January 18, to replace the late David Sassoli.
A member of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), Metsola defeated Sweden’s Greens Alice Bah Kuhnke and Spain’s Left Sira Rego, winning 458 of the 616 votes cast in the first round, thus that no second vote had to be organised.
The choice was made by the same large groups: popular, liberal and social democrats, who reached a last-minute agreement on Monday afternoon. This coalition was joined by deputies from the conservative and reformist group, who withdrew their candidate early this Tuesday and voted for the Maltese deputy.
Through her Twitter account, the new president of the European Parliament assured that it was time for the body to be led by a woman and that she must connect with the citizens of the European Union beyond the “bubbles” of Brussels and Strasbourg .
Roberta Metsola (EPP, Malta) has been elected by MEPs as President of the European Parliament until 2024 ↓
— European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) January 18, 2022
Since which became a directly elected assembly in 1979.
For women’s rights, but against abortion
MEP Roberta Metsola stands out for several reasons: she is the third woman and the youngest to hold the position of president in the history of the European Parliament, moreover, she is the first of these leaders to come from Malta, the smallest country in the European Union with just over half a million inhabitants.
After Tuesday’s announcement, Metsola thanked the support of a large majority of the European Parliament for allowing him the presidency of the institution, where he came to work in 2013.
In her first speech, the Maltese woman warned against “false and cheap” nationalism and authoritarianism, “which do not offer solutions” and asked to “counteract the anti-European narrative” of those who continue to “test the democratic values” of the bloc.
The MEP also referred to those who “undermine democracy, the rule of law, freedom of expression and fundamental rights” and, for her, “the European Union is a threat simply because it exists”.
Although the MEP presents herself as a great defender of the rights of women, of the LGBTIQ+ community and is willing to discuss migration policies, she is also openly against the right to abortion. It has even voted against the procedure in the votes on the matter in the European Parliament.
Malta, her country of origin, added a clause to its 2004 entry treaty to the European Union stating that no European legislation in favor of the interruption of pregnancy would enter into force in its territory.
For this year, the legislation against sexist violence will be one of the main challenges of the EU, however, it is an issue on which Metsola has not shown a really clear position.
With EFE, Reuters and AFP
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