The European Parliament elects Roberta Metsola as president

The Maltese Roberta Metsola has made history this Tuesday, by officially becoming the third woman to preside over the European Parliament. In the first vote, at 11:00 am, his election was confirmed with 458 votes in favor. He needed an absolute majority of 309 votes, and he has far exceeded it. The acting president after the death of David Sassoli, has had the support of her group, the Social Democrats and Liberals. He was competing for the position with Alice Bah Khunke, from the Greens – who got 101 votes – and Sira Rego, from the European Left – who had 57 supports. Polish conservative Kosma Zlotowski, on the other hand, withdrew his candidacy at the last moment.

It was a victory foretold, because in addition to being the favorite, on Monday mid-afternoon it was learned that her group had closed an agreement with the European Social Democrats and Liberals. The pact was announced by the S&D itself on their social networks as a solution to “guarantee a stable majority until the 2024 elections”. Said agreement includes guarantees that there will be a “strong institutional representation” of the social democratic family -orphan of leaders in the European institutions after the death of David Sassoli-. In addition, a working document has been prepared that includes the priorities of the group, including the defense of the rule of law, the rights of women and commitments in terms of social rules and the social dimension.

In this way, Metsola will become this Tuesday the third woman to assume the leadership of the European Parliament, after the French Simone Veil and Nicole Fontaine. The Maltese politician promoted her candidacy after the leader of the EPP in the European Parliament, the German Manfred Weber will rule himself out as an alternative to Sassoli in December. Metsola, 42 years old, was backed by the main party in the European Parliament and also asserted the fact that she is a young candidate, a woman and representative of a small country, as a counterweight to the rest of the high positions in the EU.