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Brussels – The plenary of the European Parliament has elected Spanish MEPs Esteban González Pons (PP) and Javi López (PSOE) as two of the 14 vice-presidents of the institution for the next two and a half years, the first half of the five-year legislature.
This was decided by the MEPs in a secret ballot during the constitutive session of the European Parliament, which marks the start of the tenth legislature and in which the popular Maltese Roberta Metsola was re-elected as Speaker of the House for two and a half years.
The vice-presidents, along with the presidency of the institution and five quaestors, make up the Bureau of the European Parliament that sets the rules of operation of the Eurochamber. The vice-presidents may replace the president in plenary debates and represent the Parliament in ceremonies and events if necessary.
González Pons and López secured the necessary support in the first round of voting during which eleven vice-presidencies were elected, including three for the European People’s Party (EPP), five for the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), two for the liberals in Renew Europe (RE), and one for the Greens.
The election of the 14 vice-presidencies was decided in two successive secret ballots by the MEPs, who decided to exclude from the distribution the alliance ‘Patriots for Europe’ – promoted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, which presented two candidates and ‘Europe of Nations and Freedom’, which was formed a few days before the start of the legislature by gathering 25 MEPs and had presented a candidate to occupy a vice-presidency.
The group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), led by Italy’s Brothers of the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, was spared from the veto.
Thus, the European People’s Party (EPP), which already has the presidency secured with Roberta Metsola, obtains three vice-presidencies, including one for the Spaniard Esteban González Pons.
The Socialists and Democrats (S&D), for their part, add five vice-presidencies instead of four, benefiting from the reassignment of the positions intended for the finally vetoed parties, including one for the Spaniard Javi López.
The ECR group will occupy two vice-presidencies, the same number as the liberals (Renew Europe, RE), while the Greens and the European Left will each have one vice-presidency. (July 16)