Maltese conservative lawmaker Roberta Metsola was elected president of the European Parliament on Tuesday, with overwhelming support, making her the first woman to hold the position in 20 years.
She takes over as president of the 705-member parliament from Italian socialist David Sassoli, who died earlier this month due to"dysfunction of his immune system" at age 65.
The Christian Democrat won 458 of the 616 officially cast votes in the first round of the presidential election, eliminating the need for a run-off. Metsola defeated three other candidates for the position: Sira Rego (radical left) of Spain, Poland's Kosma Zlotowski (ECR, Eurosceptics), and Alice Bah Kuhnke (Greens) of Sweden.
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Representing The Assembly With Dignity
After getting elected as the new head of the European Parliament, Metsola expressed to the members of the press that she feels honored to have secured the important position. She assured the public that she would do her best to represent the house "with dignity."
Metsola said she wants to use her new position to help the parliament establish better connections with European citizens to earn their trust and confidence.
"I want people to believe in Europe. To re-capture that sense of hope & enthusiasm in our project. To stand up for those values that unite us as Europeans," Metsola posted on Twitter.
I am humbled by the responsibility entrusted to me today as the President of the European Parliament.
— Roberta Metsola (@RobertaMetsola) January 18, 2022
I want to thank my colleagues for their support and fellow candidates Alice Bah Kuhnke & @sirarego
You can count on me to represent the European values our House stands for. 🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/iwdwKpjJGB
Metsola Will Defend EU Parliament's Positions On Women's Rights
Metsola, 43, also becomes the youngest president of the European Parliament. Since 2013, the lawmaker has been a member of the center-right European People's Party (EPP) assembly as per Politico.
Before Metsola, the European Parliament, since it became a directly elected assembly in 1979, had only two female presidents: Simone Veil and Nicole Fontain, who are both French.
The Maltese Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is known for her anti-abortion stance. She has consistently voted against resolutions of the European Parliament that push for women to gain access to safe abortion. However, she emphasized that the parliament's pro-abortion stance has been "unambiguous," and that the position of the assembly will be her position on the issue.
As president of the EU Parliament, she would defend its positions on sexual and reproductive health and rights. That includes resolutions encouraging all member states to ensure that women can access safe abortion services, as per Reuters.
Being a lawmaker from the coastal state of Malta, she has extensive experience with migration issues. Metsola believes in a holistic strategy where all 27 EU members should share the responsibility for migration flows.
She has also worked on legislative matters related to media freedom, the rule of law, democratic backsliding, corruption, the European Green Deal, and jobs creation as per EuroNews.
Moreover, Metsola is a strong advocate for women's rights and the LGBTQ+ community.
"Ours must be a Parliament that empowers, that is diverse. It will be not two decades until the next woman is standing here," she said.
To avoid lapses, the new president of the European Parliament stated that she supports policies and systems, ensuring that all member states uphold the assembly's fundamental values and ideals.
The parliament adopts and amends proposed rulings of the EU and determines the bloc's budget.
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