Roberta Metsola has been re-elected as Speaker with an overwhelming majority as the new EU Parliament has now formally opened in Strasbourg.
The conservative Maltese woman was a strong favourite in Tuesday's initial Speaker election and was only challenged by Spanish left-wing politician Irene Montero.
The support for the 45-year-old Metsola – with a Finnish surname from her husband Ukko – was also significant: 562 votes for Metsola, 61 for Montero, and 76 blank or abstentions.
Europe is hope, Europe is faith, Europe is all of us, and Europe is still the answer. Long live Europe! said Metsola in her thank-you speech immediately afterwards.
The new EU Parliament is slightly more male-dominated than before, with 39 per cent female members compared to 40 per cent before the election. For Sweden, the situation is the opposite, with 13 out of 21 Swedish members being women.
The Swedish parliamentarians also belong to the more experienced in the parliament. 15 of the Swedes have sat in parliament before.
