EU parliament elects new president

German MEP Hans-Gert Poettering has been elected as the president of the European parliament.

Poettering, who had led the centre-right European People’s Party since 1999, won the backing of 450 MEPs, or 65.3 per cent of the votes cast, comfortably beating his three challengers.

The German deputy was the hot favourite in the contest to succeed Spanish Socialist Josep Borrell for the assembly’s top job, and will serve until the 2009 European elections.

Among the first to congratulate Poettering was Monica Frassoni, the Green Party candidate who received 145 votes, and European commission president, Jose Manuel Barrosso, who said Poettering was "uniquely" qualified for the job.

In his first speech as president, Poettering, who was given a 30-second standing ovation by a packed parliament in Strasbourg, said he was looking forward to a “wonderful” challenge.

Poettering, an MEP since 1979, said that, as parliament’s ‘public face’ he will fight for a “strong and active” EU and strive to be a “fair and objective” president.

Joseph Daul, Poettering's successor as EPP leader, described the result as a “famous” victory while Socialist leader Martin Schulz said he was “in no doubt” that Poettering would be a “neutral” president.

Liberal group leader Graham Watson said Poettering’s election was the “pinnacle” of a “remarkable” parliamentary career while Greens co-leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit congratulated Poettering on landing his “dream” job.

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