Schulz attacked for prejudging European parliament presidency vote

The MEP who is expected to be voted into the European parliament's top job on Tuesday has been accused of "demeaning" the institution by already forming his private office.

German Socialist member Martin Schulz has been roundly condemned after it emerged he had already started forming his cabinet ahead of Tuesday's vote to elect parliament's next president.

MEPs will vote in a secret ballot to elect a successor to Jerzy Buzek, the outgoing president, during the parliamentary plenary in Strasbourg.

Schulz is the overwhelming favourite to win but there are two other candidates in the election, both of whom criticised Schulz for "prejudging" the outcome of the ballot.

They said it highlights the "stitch-up" for the post between parliament's mainstream political groups.

The German has also come under fire for teaming up with the leaders of the EPP and ALDE, the other two biggest groups in the parliament, to prevent the candidates from addressing MEPs ahead of the vote.

Leading the attack was Nirj Deva, a British Conservative candidate, who said, "Schulz should not be measuring the curtains before a single ballot has been cast. It is disrespectful to the House to pre-judge their vote. It demeans each and every member. If elected is this what we will have to endure for two and a half years?"

Further criticism came from Diana Wallis, the other candidate in the race, who declared, "It is up to individual members to decide whether what Schulz is doing is appropriate or not, although it seems to prejudge the outcome and gives rather a lot of people a vested interest in a particular result - just to add that personally I am neither appointing my staff nor measuring up for new curtains."

Elsewhere, UKIP leader Nigel Farage said, "I expect UKIP members to make political capital out of the snarling angry manner of [Martin] Schulz if he is elected president.

"Schulz started forming his cabinet six months ago. This shows the whole parliament election as the farce it is. It's a done deal, an agreed stitch-up already. Only parliament or a third world country would have someone of Schulz's temperament or calibre as president."

Party colleague Martha Andreasen was equally scathing, saying, "The arrogance of Schulz has never been in doubt but forming a cabinet before election is a new low.

"It underlines the contempt towards normal parliamentary democracy displayed by the bigger political groups."

She also said a debate in parliament last week between the three candidates was a waste of time. "As welcome as the debate was, it was a fruitless exercise when the outcome is already pre-determined."

Meanwhile, UK conservative MEP Martin Callanan, who leads the ECR group in parliament, criticised Schulz and other group leaders for blocking an attempt for the candidates to address the plenary before the vote.

A five-minute presentation from the candidates has been customary in parliament since 2002 and despite having support from the smaller groups; the ECR group's proposal was blocked in the parliament's Conference of Presidents, with the S&D group providing the swing vote.

Callanan commented, "It is customary for MEPs to hear a short presentation from the candidates before deciding who they want to represent them for the next 30 months."

Addressing plenary on Tuesday would, he says, have provided an "opportunity to hear the candidates' policies and priorities."

He added, "The candidates have visited the political groups but that is not the same as openly addressing the whole plenary.

"The leaders of parliament's main groups may have already determined who will win this election but surely there is no harm in allowing the three candidates to set out their stall in front of the whole parliament. This is, after all, an election that should be determined by the parliament.

"The stitch-up of this important post is always a very dark moment in the parliament's calendar and it is regrettable that Schulz, Joseph Daul and Guy Verhofstadt have prevented even a small ray of sunlight from being shone on the process."

No-one from Schulz's office was available for comment.