Yahoo – AFP,
1 July 2014
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - German Social-Democrat Martin Schulz was elected on Tuesday to head the European Parliament in the first session since elections in May.
German
politician Martin Schulz -- the leader of the European Socialist' (PES) bloc --
delivers a speech at the European Parliament in Brussels, on May 25, 2014 (AFP
Photo/
John Thys)
|
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - German Social-Democrat Martin Schulz was elected on Tuesday to head the European Parliament in the first session since elections in May.
Schulz,
outgoing president of the last European Parliament, won 409 votes for and 314
against or blank ballots, in a session that was marred by eurosceptic
opposition.
"Great
honour and responsibility to be the voice of the Parliament of EU
citizens," Schulz tweeted. "We'll keep strengthening this house to
the benefit of all."
Marking the
start of the parliament's five-year mandate, his re-election in a secret ballot
was the first order of business since Europe-wide elections on May 25 returned
an unprecedented number of anti-EU lawmakers.
As the
session opened, dozens of eurosceptic members stood up and turned their backs
on the EU flag as Beethoven's "Ode To Joy", the bloc's anthem, rang
across the chamber.
The flag
and anthem "are both symbols of our servitude inside a political union
which the British people reject," said the deputy leader of the UK
Independence Party (UKIP), Paul Nuttall, which outscored mainstream parties in
Britain during the May vote.
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