Watson in public bid for presidency of EU parliament

Graham Watson, leader of the ALDE group in parliament, has thrown his hat into the ring to become the assembly’s next president.

The British MEP declared his candidacy to succeed Hans-Gert Pöttering for parliament’s top job after the European elections in June.

However, the move was immediately played down by Joseph Daul, leader of the EPP-ED group.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, he said he expected the presidency to be decided in the "traditional" way.

This is interpreted as meaning that the prestige post - as has been thecase in the current legislature - will again be shared by parliament’stwo biggest groups, the EPP-ED and the Socialists.

Daul told journalists that "no decision" had yet been taken on the EPP-ED’s candidate for the presidency. "This will depend on the outcome of the elections," he said, "but I hope we will be able to conclude arrangements of the traditional type."

If that is the case, the two likely candidates for the job, which carries a five-year term, would be Martin Schulz, German leader of the PES group, and Jerzey Buzek, a former Polish prime minister and an MEP since 2004. Neither has yet declared their candidacies.

However, the decision by Watson to run the campaign could thrown a spanner in the works of plans for a two-way split between the other two groups.

Launching his bid on Wednesday, Watson said, "For too long, presidents of parliament have been chosen through backroom deals in smoke-filled rooms. Mine will be the first ever public campaign for the presidency: in this I hope that I will set a precedent.

"We need a proper debate about the role and priorities of the next president. This is what European democracy should be about.

"I hope that by going public with my campaign I will stimulate debate about the candidates and the issues, and spark a contest which will be decided on merit, not convenience."

"I have written to every MEP informing them of my intentions, and next week I will unveil the priorities that would mark out my presidency."

Spanish Socialist deputy Josep Borrell was president for the first half of the current parliament before Pöttering took over.

Former Irish deputy Pat Cox was the last president from ALDE, parliament’s third-largest political group. The former TV presenter held the job from 2002-2004.

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