2024-07-16 11:59:19
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July 16, 2024
13:59
The Maltese was re-elected as president of the European Parliament with an overwhelming majority. MEPs still have to elect 14 vice-presidents, including Belgian Sophie Wilmes.
After investing in the new European Parliament, 720 MEPs met in Strasbourg this Tuesday to be re-elected Roberta Metsola served as the conference chair Representing 440 million citizens, and updated during the June elections.
Unsurprisingly, the 45-year-old Maltese was chosen A majority of 562 out of 623 votes managed the agency for two and a half years. Highest score History of Parliament. She got Absolute majority From the first secret ballotwhich is supervised by eight MEPs. So no other turns are needed. Her only opponent is the Spaniard Irene Montero (Podemos, far left) was a last-minute candidate with no chance of winning.
“Parliament has to be strong and a strong coalition.”
A parliament marked by the far right
Roberta Metsola takes the helmParliament is more influenced by the radical right than ever beforenearly a quarter of the semicircle comes from all directions On the far right of the political spectrum.
“The challenges we were asked to overcome included UN leadership solidarity (…). Parliament must remain strong in a strong coalition, “she declared following her election.
She insisted at a press conference Fighting polarization “We must defend the policy of hope. Facing increasing polarization and even political violencethis Parliament must defend and reflect the opposite view,” she said.
MEPs will now be elected Their 14 vice presidentsamong Sophie Wilmes (MR, Update Europe), the French-speaking Belgian preferred vote winner. On Wednesday, they will elect five finance ministers, who will be responsible for the internal affairs of the parliament. The vice-president and the treasurer will form the European Parliament’s presidency.
Centrist Alliance
Roberta Metsola (EPP, Christian Democracy) is supported by Centrist Alliance Built by outgoing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. A coalition of the European People’s Party, the Social Democrats (S&D) and the liberals and centrists (Renew Europe) 401 of the 720 MEPs in the semicirclethe majority is weakened to some extent by the high defection rate (10%) of elected officials.
To strengthen her base, the Speaker also received Support from the European Greens group and the majority of ECR elected officialsThe group brings together sovereignists and far-right elements led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meroni.
Voting results are more predictable The results of his first mission were considered positive. He took office in 2022 following the death of David Sassoli, She remains at the helm of the agency despite the turmoil surrounding Qatargatea corruption scandal that particularly involved representatives of the Belgian Socialist Party. She also led A policy of firm support in favor of Ukraine.
After her term ended, Roberta Metsola passed the baton to Under the rotation rules, S&D elected officialsThe EPP tried unsuccessfully to circumvent this rule in the negotiations.
Two notable absences
The first parliamentary session ends on Thursday with the election of a commission president, with no planned political debate on the European Union. Viktor OrbanThe country that holds the rotating presidency of the European Council was absent at the start of the current academic year. He drew the ire of his peers following visiting the leaders of Russia and China without a European mandate. European Patriotsand also caused unrest within the parliament.
President of the European Council, Charles Michel was also absent.
The vote for speaker of the parliament is also a test of the reliability of Ursula von der Leyen’s majority.
Dealing with the extreme right
During this legislative session, Mesola must Continue substantive legislative work, particularly on the defense industry, climate, AI regulation, and anti-corruption.
She also has to manage The rise of the far rightembodied in Les Patriotes pour l’Europe (84 elected officials). Pro-Russian organizations became The Third Power in Parliament.
Another far-right group, the European Union of Sovereign States (25 elected officials), should also give him a hard time. Mesola hopes to maintain health cordonby preventing elected officials from these parties from holding leadership positions, such as chairing parliamentary committees.
and, Most representatives in the ECR’s ranks (78 elected officials) come from far-right partieslike the Fratelli d’Italia, the party of Giorgia Meloni, which showed the flame of Mussolini. It also brought together sovereigntists and representatives of the radical right, such as the New Virginia of Flanders.
The ECR is rarely appreciated by liberals and socialists, but it was crucial to von der Leyen’s election. This group should not be subject to health cordons In the European Parliament.
A test for von der Leyen
The vote of the President of Parliament was Most reliability tests By Ursula von der Leyen. He is due to be re-elected as Commission President on Thursday. However, some elected officials in his coalition and even in his own party, such as the Republicans, I won’t support her.
To ensure his election, this requires 361 votes, absolute majorityGermans are seeking votes European Green Partywhich is unlikely to please the conservatives in the European People’s Party, and Multiple political parties within the ECRincluding N-VA.
The European Parliament, which is regarding to enter its tenth legislative session, has a 54% chance of re-election. During the June 9 elections, the proportion of women was 39%, compared to 61% in 2019, slightly lower than the previous election (40%).
The average age of members of the European Parliament is 50 years oldThe youngest MP is 23-year-old Lena Schilling (Green Party, Austria), the oldest is 77-year-old Leoluca Orlando (Green Party, Italy).
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