After the European elections: EU Parliament elects Roberta Metsola as President

The members of the European Parliament have re-elected Christian Democrat Roberta Metsola as their president with a record result. The 45-year-old politician from Malta received around 90 percent of the valid votes in the first round of voting. She will therefore be the top representative of the 720 MEPs until at least January 2027.

Metsola is a member of the centre-right EPP alliance in parliament, which clearly won the European elections in June. The CDU and CSU parties are also part of his party from Germany. “We must stand up for a policy of hope, for the dream of Europe,” said the Maltese woman after her election.

Metsola received 562 of 623 valid votes in the first round of voting. Since the first direct election of parliament in 1979, no other president has achieved such a good result. Until now, the Pole Jerzy Buzek, elected in 2009, was number one with a good 86 percent of the valid votes. The last German incumbent was Martin Schulz, who headed parliament from 2012 to 2017 before becoming the SPD’s candidate for chancellor. Schulz received around 58 percent of the valid votes in 2012 and around 67 percent in 2014.

Congratulations from Ukraine

After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Metsola made a name for herself as a supporter of the attacked country. She was one of the first top EU politicians to travel to Ukraine and spoke out in favor of more arms deliveries to the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj expressed his delight at the 45-year-old’s re-election on X and congratulated her. He greatly appreciated Metsola’s personal commitment to Ukraine. “I look forward to continuing our close cooperation in order to restore a just peace soon,” wrote the Ukrainian.

Congratulations also came from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Your leadership qualities and passion for Europe are needed more than ever,” the top German politician wrote on X.

Metsola: Unlimited potential in Europe

In her application speech, Metsola said that thanks to Europe, millions of citizens can dream of a future with unlimited potential. She also called for the Parliament to be able to better control other institutions and hold them accountable. “We cannot accept that our role as parliamentarians is watered down,” she stressed.

Remaining imbalances between the institutions must be eliminated, said the Maltese woman. In the EU, only the EU Commission can submit concrete legislative proposals. The Parliament can only request the Commission to do so without obligation.

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 the prestigious office. The President of the European Parliament directs all activities of the plenary, maintains order during sessions, gives speakers the floor and signs laws. She also represents the Parliament externally and to the other EU institutions.

Opponent has no chance

In this year’s election, Metsola had only one opponent: Irene Montero, nominated by the left, was only able to convince 61 MPs. Before the vote, the 36-year-old Spaniard had, among other things, called for Europe to impose sanctions on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in light of Israel’s actions in the Gaza war.

Important election also on Thursday

In the last legislative period, Metsola had to represent the parliament externally in the so-called “Qatargate” scandal, among other things. This concerns alleged influence from Qatar and Morocco on political decisions of the European Parliament. The investigation into the scandal, which came to light at the end of 2022, is still ongoing.

On Thursday, a decision will be made as to whether Ursula von der Leyen can serve a second term as Commission President. To do so, she also needs a majority in Parliament.