Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1443936
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 JANUARY 2022 NEWS NICOLE MEILAK ROBERTA Metsola has been elected president of the European Parliament ob- taining the support of an absolute major- ity of MEPs on the first round. The Maltese MEP received 74% of valid votes cast in the hemicycle in Strasbourg yesterday. In her acceptance speech, Metsola pledged to uphold the values of open- ness, human rights, solidarity and rule of law the European Union champions. She spoke of the need to extend the Schengen area but at the same time emphasised se- curity within the EU and at its borders. She spoke of the Russian threat to Ukraine and the need to focus on the Bal- kan states. She also highlighted the need for the reunification of Cyprus. Metsola spoke in Maltese, her mother tongue and English but also paid tribute to her predecessor David Sassoli in Italian and put in a few paragraphs of French. The 42-year-old mother of four is the first Maltese to occupy one of the high- est institutional posts in the EU. She is the first woman to occupy the role of EP president since 1999. Who were the candidates? Metsola faced competition from three other candidates – the Greens candidate Alice Bah Kuhnke, the Left's Sira Rego, and ECR's Kosma Zlotowski. Roberta Metsola (EPP, MT), Alice Kuhnke (Greens/EFA, SE), and Sira Rego (The Left, ES) gave short pres- entations at 9am, immediately before the first voting round. The result was announced at 11am. Kosma Złotowski (ECR, PL) withdrew his candidacy just before the vote. The S&D, the second-largest group, did not have a candidate. In a deal brokered on the eve of the vote between the S&D, the EPP and Renew, the S&D secured key posts for its MEPs and made sure its is- sues will be on the agenda for the next two years. The deal ensured the S&Ds support for Metsola. The European Left proposed a feminist candidate which they insisted marked a break from 'system candidates'. GUE Co-president Manon Aubry added that Rego was a feminist candidate "marking a clear break from the system candidates 40 years on from the presidency of Simone Veil... now we have a candidate who is in favour of abortion." The other candidate was former Swed- ish minister Alice Bah Kuhnke for the Greens. Metsola elected European Parliament president These articles are part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Newly-elected President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola being congratulated by her Maltese EPP colleague, David Casa