European Union

President of the European Parliament

How the office holder is chosen

The President is elected by the Members of the European Parliament by secret ballot. In January 2022 Roberta Metsola won in the first round with an absolute majority of 458 votes out of 690 cast, according to the EU's External Action Service.²

Term

The term is two and a half years, so each five year parliamentary term has two presidencies. Metsola was elected in January 2022 for the second half of the 2019 to 2024 term and re-elected in July 2024.^4,2,3

Recent holders

Notable facts

• Roberta Metsola had been acting President after the death of David Sassoli, until her election on 18 January 2022.^4,2
• On 16 July 2024 Metsola was re-elected with 562 votes, according to Belga.³

Sources

1. European Parliament, The President of the European Parliament
2. European External Action Service, Roberta Metsola elected new President of the European Parliament (18 January 2022)
3. Belga News Agency, Roberta Metsola re-elected president of European Parliament (16 July 2024)
4. The National, Roberta Metsola elected as EU Parliament president after death of David Sassoli (Reuters) (18 January 2022)