The European Parliament has elected the Maltese born conservative lawyer Roberta Metsola as President after the death of former head David Sassoli. The MEPs elected Metsola in a single round with 458 votes out of a total of 616 ballot papers. A member of the European Parliament since 2013 and the first woman to hold office in 20 years, 43-year-old Metsola has become the youngest politician in legislative history.
President of the European Council Charles Michel congratulated Metsola on his social media account and said, “As the new President of the European Parliament, I congratulate Roberta Metsola with my sincere wishes. The European Parliament is the beating heart of our European democracy. I look forward to cooperating with you, dear Roberta.” As President of the European Parliament, Metsola will lead the activities of the plenary sessions of the living council and maintain order during the sessions. Other duties of the President include giving the floor to speakers, signing laws and traditionally speaking at the opening of European Union summits.