Former Italian Air Force officer Antonio Tajani has been elected President of the European Parliament. After four rounds of voting Mr Tajani was victorious, receiving 351 votes and beating his fellow countryman Giani Pitella who achieved a total of 202. In total six candidates put themselves forward, and took part in televised debates – the first time this has occurred when selecting an EP President. The 53-year- old is a member of the European People’s Party (EPP), a pro-European centre-right political party whose current leader is Jean-Claude- Juncker, the president of the European Commission.

Representatives now control all three European bodies – European Parliament, European Commission, and European Council. Traditionally there has been horse-trading between the EPP and the ESP (European Socialist Party), ultimately resulting in some sort of power sharing agreement. It is unclear whether some will demand a reshuffle in 2017 to elect an ESP candidate to either head the Commission or the Council.

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