After the European election - The EU Parliament elects Roberta Metsola as President
European Parliament deputies have re-elected Roberta Metsola as their President with a record-breaking result. The 45-year-old Maltese politician received approximately 90% of valid votes in the first round. She will be the highest representative of the 720 European Parliament members at least until January 2027.
Metsola is a member of the European People's Party (EPP) in the Parliament, which won the European election in June. German parties CDU and CSU are part of it. "We must stand up for a policy of hope, for the dream of Europe", said the Maltese woman after her re-election.
Metsola received 562 out of 623 valid votes in the first round. No other President has achieved such a good result since the first direct election of the Parliament in 1979. The Polish Jerzy Buzek, who was elected in 2009, had the best result with approximately 86% of valid votes. The last German incumbent was Martin Schulz, who led the Parliament from 2012 to 2017 before becoming the SPD's chancellor candidate. Schulz had received approximately 58% of valid votes in 2012 and approximately 67% in 2014.
Congratulations from Ukraine
After Russia's attack on Ukraine, Metsola made a name for herself as an advocate for the attacked country. As one of the first EU top politicians, she traveled to Ukraine and spoke in favor of more weapons deliveries to the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his pleasure over Metsola's re-election and congratulated her. He values Metsola's personal involvement in Ukraine highly. "I am looking forward to continuing our close cooperation to restore peace as soon as possible", wrote the Ukrainian.
Congratulations also came from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "Your leadership qualities and passion for Europe will be needed more than ever", wrote the German politician.
Metsola: Unlimited Potential in Europe
In her campaign speech, Metsola stated that with Europe, millions of citizens could dream of a future with unlimited potential. She also demanded that the Parliament be given the ability to better control and hold other institutions accountable. "We cannot accept that our role as parliamentarians is diminished", she emphasized.
Remaining imbalances between institutions must be addressed, according to Metsola. In the EU, only the European Commission can submit concrete legislative proposals. The Parliament can only invite the Commission to do so.
Metsola has been a member of the European Parliament since 2013 and was first elected President of the European Parliament on January 18, 2022. She is the third woman to hold this prestigious position. The President of the European Parliament leads all activities of the Plenary, maintains order during sessions, grants speakers the floor, and signs laws. In addition, they represent the Parliament externally and at other EU institutions.
Hopeless for the opposing candidate
In this year's election, Metsola had only one opponent: The candidate put forward by the Left, Irene Montero, could only convince 61 parliamentarians. The 36-year-old Spaniard had spoken in favor of imposing sanctions on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to his actions in the Gaza War before the vote.
In the previous legislative period, Metsola had to represent the parliament externally in the so-called "Katargate" scandal. This involves alleged influence from Qatar and Morocco on decisions of the European Parliament. The investigations into this scandal, which became public at the end of 2022, are still ongoing.
On Thursday, it will be decided whether Ursula von der Leyen will be allowed a second term as Commission President. She also needs a parliamentary majority for this.
- Despite being from Malta, Roberta Metsola is aligned with the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament, a group that includes German parties CDU and CSU.
- Metsola surpassed previous records in her re-election as President of the European Parliament, receiving approximately 90% of valid votes, more than any other President since the first direct election in 1979.
- Following her re-election, Metsola thanked her supporters and emphasized the need for a policy of hope and the dream of Europe, reflecting the values of the EPP.
- After Russia's attack on Ukraine, Metsola became an advocate for the attacked country, traveling to Ukraine and speaking in favor of delivering more weapons to the nation.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Metsola on her re-election and valued her personal involvement in Ukraine, emphasizing their close cooperation towards restoring peace.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also extended her congratulations to Metsola, recognizing the crucial leadership qualities and passion for Europe needed at this time.
- During her campaign speech, Metsola highlighted the potential for millions of citizens to dream of a future with unlimited potential with Europe, while emphasizing the need for the Parliament to have more control and accountability over other institutions.
- In the European election, Metsola's opponent, the candidate put forward by the Left, could only garner support from 61 parliamentarians, while Metsola received most of the votes.
- Metsola, who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2013, previously had to represent the parliament externally during the "Katargate" scandal, involving alleged influence from Qatar and Morocco on European Parliament decisions, and investigations are still ongoing.
