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European Parliament chooses new president, completing top EU jobs
STRASBOURG, France, July 3, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The European Parliament on
Wednesday elected an Italian social democrat as its new president, filling
the final top EU job a day after Brussels named two women to key posts for
the first time.
Italy’s David Sassoli, a 63-year-old former journalist, won the absolute
majority of ballots he needed at the second round of voting, seeing off
German Green Ska Keller, far-left Spaniard Sira Rego and Czech conservative
Jan Zahradil.
The new MEPs elected in May’s European polls took office on Tuesday during
a brief inaugural session before voting by secret ballot to choose Sassoli as
successor to Antonio Tajani, a conservative from Italy.
The 751-seat parliament — based in Strasbourg, France — is more
fragmented than ever after the May election saw solid gains by the liberals
and Greens as well as the far right and eurosceptics.
The vote for president completes the roster of the EU’s five most important
jobs, with the others settled on Tuesday at the end of three days of
negotiation among the EU’s 28 national leaders in Brussels.
Sassoli’s election to a two-and-a-half year term as parliament president —
effectively the speaker of the chamber — is a sought-after post by the major
European political families, though less coveted than that of president of
the European Commission or European Central Bank.
The EU leaders on Tuesday nominated German Defence Minister Ursula von der
Leyen as commission chief and IMF chief Christine Lagarde to head the
European Central Bank, though their appointments still need confirmation.
The national leaders also suggested that the chamber’s presidency should be
shared for the next five years by the Socialists and Tajani’s centre-right
EPP. Sassoli’s election completes the first part of this, but it remains
unclear whether he will make way in due course.
Von der Leyen is expected to visit parliament in the afternoon to court
MEPs, whose approval is needed to confirm her position as commission chief.
– ‘Disappointing’ –
Germany’s Manfred Weber, head of the EPP group, took note of the outcome
of the Brussels summit by renouncing a run for parliament head, after having
already thrown in the towel in the race for the Commission’s presidency.
“It is normal, that after two and a half years of an EPP president, now it
is up to the Socialists to present a candidate,” Weber told a press briefing
in Strasbourg.
“We are ready to check with the Socialists for a candidate and to give our
support,” he said.
But the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament, second only to
the EPP in terms of seats, put forward Sassoli after criticising the
agreements reached between the 28, which it described as “deeply
disappointing”.
They had wanted the commission head spot to go to their leading candidate,
the Dutchman Frans Timmermans.
– Brexit and Catalonia –
On Tuesday, the opening of the Parliament’s session was marked by the
return of Nigel Farage, a veteran of the EU chamber since 1999, whose Brexit
Party MEPs turned their backs when asked to stand for the EU anthem —
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy — at the start of the session.
As Brexit has still not taken place, there are again 73 British MEPs, who
will be able to sit temporarily until the divorce goes through. The new
deadline is October 31.
It also saw the demonstration of some 10,000 Catalans who came to
Strasbourg to support three secessionists elected at the end of May but
prevented from sitting by Spanish authorities.
BSS/AFP/RY/1848 hrs