Malta Legislator Becomes 3rd Female EU Parliament President

BRUSSELS , Jan.18, (ST)- Roberta Metsola, a Democrat from Malta, was elected president of the European Union’s parliament Tuesday, putting women in three of the four biggest jobs in the 27-nation bloc.

Metsola succeeds Italian Socialist David Sassoli, who died last week. She is only the third woman elected to the post. Her birthday was Tuesday, and at age 43, she is the European Parliament’s youngest president.

Metsola was the candidate of the parliament’s biggest group, and she received 458 of the 616 votes cast Tuesday. She had already been acting president since Sassoli’s Jan. 11 death.

“I know that having the first female president of this house since 1999 matters both inside and outside these rooms, but it must go further,” Metsola told the plenary. “Our institution commits to having more diversity, gender equality, guaranteeing women’s rights, all our rights must be reaffirmed.”

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen could not attend the parliamentary session since she is in a COVID-19 quarantine. Another woman, Christine Lagarde, runs the powerful European Central Bank, which has a vast sway over the EU economy.

The European Council, which represents the governments of the 27 member states, is led by a man, Charles Michel, who as council president hosts the summits of the bloc’s leaders.

The presidential election for the second half of the legislature had long been planned, but it became more poignant after the death of Sassoli, who had been sick for several months and decided not to seek another 2 1/2-year term.

Metsola will lead an EU institution which has become more powerful over the years and been instrumental in charting the course of the 27-nation bloc on issues such as the digital economy, climate change and Brexit.

Known as a committed bridge-builder between parties, Metsola said she would stick to Sassoli’s style of work.

As a member of the EU Parliament, Metsola has been a leader on migration issues. She is very progressive on women’s rights and LGBT issues, but the mother of four boys has taken a conservative stance on abortion, reflecting her country’s national politics.

She said Tuesday that she would staunchly defend the overall pro-abortion rights position of the legislature.

Source: Agencies