Roberta Metsola will be the next president of the European Parliament thanks to an agreement between popular, social democrats and liberals
The full European Parliament gave its last goodbye to David Sassoli on Monday. At a ceremony in his honor in Strasbourg, MEPs, European leaders and family members bid farewell to a “passionate” politician, a “committed European” and, above all, a “great man”. All agreed that his legacy will resonate for a long time in the hemicycle, which this Tuesday elects his successor. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who had to cancel her participation after her driver tested positive for covid on Monday afternoon, did not attend the event.
A few hours later, the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group confirmed their support for the Maltese Roberta Metsola, current acting president and who started as the favorite in the race to succeed Sassoli. The Socialists thus close a pact with the Popular Europeans (PPE) and the Liberals (Renew Europe) to “guarantee a stable majority until the 2024 elections.”
The agreement includes guarantees that there will be a “strong institutional representation” of the Social Democratic family – orphaned in the community institutions after Sassoli’s death. In addition, it includes a working document that includes some of the group’s priorities, such as the defense of the rule of law, women’s rights and commitments in social matters.
In this way, Metsola will become the third woman to assume the leadership of the European Parliament, a position that has only been held by two other women in history, the French Simone Veil and Nicole Fontaine.
Metsola’s name was in all the pools. Maltese politics had the support of the base of his group, the EPP, -the one with the highest representation in the hemicycle, with 178 seats-. In addition, the pact between social democrats and popular Europeans to distribute the presidency of this institution in two terms of two and a half years, would mathematically give him the position.
The truth is that Metsola has extensive experience in the position. She has been Sassoli’s vice president for two and a half years and carried out many of her duties when the president was ill last fall. In addition, many MEPs agree that he is open to dialogue and negotiation. However, his position against abortion generates rejection among the progressive sectors of the European Parliament.
Three other candidates participate in the race for the presidency of the European Parliament: the Polish conservative, Kosma Zlotowski; the Spanish and candidate of the Left, Sira Rego; and the former Swedish Minister of Culture, Alice Bah Kuhnke. The first aimed to gain support among the traditional right, while Rego and Khunke are presented with a green, feminist and social agenda “free from ties”.
secret ballot
The process to elect a new president will start this Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in the plenary session of the European Parliament with a short presentation of the candidates. The vote, which for the first time will be carried out combining telematic and face-to-face voting, will be secret. According to the procedure, they will have up to four attempts to achieve an absolute majority -half plus one of the votes cast- and the last round will be reserved for the two names with the most support.
Metsola will have the difficult role of succeeding David Sassoli, whose bold and human character was highlighted on Monday by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel; the French leader, Emanuelle Macron; and former Italian President Enrico Letta. “He kept the light of European democracy burning and dared to innovate it,” the latter said of Sassoli’s role during his mandate, marked by the pandemic. “Even in the darkest moment, it was our hope,” he added.
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