Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola defied odds when she became the first female EPP candidate for the European Parliament’s election last week.
Hailing from the micro-state of Malta, Metsola was up against the Austrian Othmar Karas and Dutch rival Esther De Lange. She beat both by wide margins, receiving 112 votes to de Lange’s 44 and Karas’s 18 votes.
Honoured to be elected as the @EPPGroup's candidate for President of the European Parliament. I will work hard to create alliances & build bridges within this House & beyond it.
A successful campaign run for Metsola would bring with it a number of firsts. She would become the first Maltese official to win one of the EU’s top jobs, the first woman to hold the post of EP president since 1999, and also the youngest president in the history of the European Parliament.
But there’s still a lot more work to do …
A former lawyer and graduate of the College of Europe, Metsola, 42, faces an uphill battle if she is to ultimately secure the top spot in European Parliament.
Several political rivals from the Greens, European Conservatives and Reformists, and potentially even the incumbent Socialist & Democrat president David Sassoli stand in Metsola's way.
The Italian politician is believed to be seeking a second term, although he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy.
Should Sassoli decide to backtrack on a 2019 deal which agreed that the S&D representative would step aside in favour of a conservative candidate, then Metsola will contest the election against a heavyweight, already widely popular in European circles.
On Tuesday, Sassoli made clear to his fellow MEPs that despite the agreement, he didn’t want to hand his job over to a conservative like Metsola.
Still, EPP leader Manfred Weber praised Metsola for winning the nomination. He described her as a "strong candidate", and one which could unify several coalitions in the EU.
What do you make of Roberta Metsola’s odds of becoming EP President?
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