MEPs re-elected Martin Schulz as President of the European Parliament on Tuesday morning for another two and a half year term. The 58-year old German MEP will lead Parliament until January 2017. He won 409 out of 612 valid votes cast in the first ballot.
Mr Schulz is the first President in the history of the European Parliament to be re-elected for a second two and a half year term.
In a brief address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg immediately after the vote, Mr Schulz thanked for MEPs for their confidence in him. "It's an extraordinary honour to be the first re-elected President of the European Parliament. I will take my duty very seriously, because we are heart of the European democracy, keeping the task of passing legislation and overseeing its enforcement. An overwhelming majority of this house drew the conclusion that the leading candidate in the European election should become the President of European Commission, therefore a German word, Spitzenkandidat, has entered into several other European languages".
Mr Schulz also emphasized that MEPs should "demand that people who trade with the EU should respect rule of law, not rule of the strongest. If the EU protects the people, we will win back their trust, irrespective of their origin or gender. The rule of respect and human dignity should guide everything we do and I know an overwhelming majority will share this view. Let us work and have constructive debate!".
Full result of the vote for the President of the European Parliament
Under Parliament's Rules of Procedure, to be elected President, a candidate must win an absolute majority of the valid votes cast, i.e. 50% plus one. Blank or spoiled ballots do not count in calculating the majority required.
The result of the first ballot was as follows:
Votes cast: 723
Blank or invalid votes: 111
Valid votes cast: 612
Absolute majority of votes cast required to be elected: 307
Votes for the candidates:
Martin Schulz (S&D, DE) 409: Mr Schulz duly elected President of the European Parliament
Sajjad Karim (ECR, UK) 101
Pablo Iglesias (GUE, ES) 51
Ulrike Lunacek (Greens/EFA, AT) 51