Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz, an MEP of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party, has been once again elected as one of the European Parliament’s vice-presidents in Strasbourg.
To be elected an EP vice president, a candidate must garner more than half of the votes cast. At the plenary, 680 MEPs cast their votes, 62 of which were invalid. According to Antonio Tajani, the EP’s newly elected president, Pelcz was elected to the post with exactly 310 votes cast in her favour. MEPs were to elect altogether 14 vice-presidents. Pelcz was one of ten candidates to clear the threshold in the first round.
Meanwhile the Hungarian members of the European Parliament reacted to the election of Antonio Tajani as EP President. The MEPs of right-wing Fidesz and Christian Democratic parties congratulated the 63-year old former vice-president of the European Commssion. “The EP will have a president who is a friend of Hungary,” the Fidesz-KDNP group said. With the election of the conservative Italian politician, it is expected that greater focus will be given to Christian values also represented by Fidesz, it said. The EP’s composition, however, has not changed, and the “political attacks mounted by the left are expected to continue against Hungary”. The Fidesz-KDNP group will continue to strenuously uphold Hungary’s interests in Brussels.
MEP Tibor Szanyi of Hungary’s opposition Socialist Party said that “Fidesz and the liberals want to direct the European Parliament as part of a grand coalition … From Hungary’s point of view, all this means is that Fidesz will team up with anyone to attain and keep hold of power: in Hungary with the far right, in Europe with the liberals. … The vote reflected a strong political will of the EP to isolate anti-EU, populist extremists.” The Socialist expressed hope after the vote that “by considering European values in the first place, the EPP would also draw conclusions and finally exclude Fidesz from its ranks”.
The green opposition LMP said that by supporting Tajani, Fidesz had aided a politician who promotes austerity measures and neo-liberal economic policies. Instead of representing the people, Tajani has always promoted the interests of economic lobbies, MEP Tamás Meszerics and LMP presidium member Péter Ungár said.
via hungarymatters.hu and MTI