Roberta Metsola has been officially nominated as the European People’s Party (EPP) Group’s candidate for President of the European Parliament.

The nomination was confirmed following a vote of approval by EPP MEPs during a closed-door meeting. Gaining 13 seats, the EPP, or European People’s Party, remains the largest political group in the European Parliament, with 188 elected MEPs.

Having secured the backing of her EPP group, Metsola must now secure the support of a majority of MEPs in the European Parliament for a second term as President.

If she succeeds, she will become the second MEP in history to serve two terms as EP President and the first woman to do so.

“Running to be your candidate for re-election as President of the European Parliament is a responsibility that I take seriously; that I understand is a decision that weighs heavily on all of us,” she told EPP MEPs following the vote.

Ready to continue serving the House of Democracy.

I am deeply honoured to be nominated by the @EPPGroup for re-election as President of the European Parliament.

This is not only a privilege of a lifetime, but a responsibility that I am ready for.

I will not let you down. pic.twitter.com/hfHqfoUI8U

— Roberta Metsola (@RobertaMetsola) June 19, 2024

Metsola was first elected to the European Parliament in 2013, becoming one of Malta’s first female MEPs. Metsola was re-elected in 2014 and again in 2019.

In 2020, she was elected First Vice-President of the European Parliament, becoming the first Maltese national to hold this position.

Within the European Parliament, President Metsola was the EPP Group Coordinator in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) between January 2017 and 2020.

Metsola was also the parliament’s rapporteur on the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation in 2019, and she co-authored the parliament’s own initiative report on the need to protect journalists in the European Union from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).

Metsola was elected EP President in January 2022 following the sudden death of the previous President, Davide Sassoli. Within weeks of assuming this key role, Russia invaded Ukraine, plunging Europe into crisis. Metsola was the first president of an EU institution to visit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, shortly after Russia’s offensive.

Later that year, the European Parliament faced serious scrutiny after an investigation by Belgian police revealed that the governments of Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania had funnelled cash to MEPs, lobbyists and their families. Following the scandal, the European Parliament introduced new codes of conduct for MEPs in September 2023.

Metsola was re-elected as an MEP in this month’s elections, winning more votes than any other candidate in Maltese MEP electoral history with over 87,000 first-count votes.