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The three political groups underpinning the European Parliament’s centrist majority are set to re-elect their leaders on Tuesday, with little prospect of surprises despite growing tensions within their alliance.
The European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the liberal Renew Europe group will hold internal leadership elections in Strasbourg on 20 October, with the outcomes all but a foregone conclusion.
The EPP is expected to re-elect German Manfred Weber, who has led the group since 2014 and faces no challengers. “He has an iron grip on the group. No one would even think of trying to topple him,” a senior MEP told Euronews.
The main contest will be for the group’s vice-presidencies, with 12 candidates vying for 10 seats. All current vice-presidents seeking re-election are expected to retain their positions, while outgoing Portuguese MEP Lídia Pereira is likely to be replaced by Hungary’s Eszter Lakos.
There is little prospect of a contest among the Socialists either. Spanish MEP Iratxe García Pérez is set to be re-elected unopposed, extending her tenure and making her the longest-serving leader in the group’s history.
Renew Europe chair Valérie Hayer is also the sole candidate to lead the liberal group. The French MEP, who belongs to Emmanuel Macron’s political camp, is expected to be elected by acclamation, with overwhelming support, a source within the group told Euronews.
A challenger could still enter the race at the last minute, before the vote, triggering a ballot election.
Once re-elected, Weber, García Pérez and Hayer are expected to discuss the future of the centrist alliance supporting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the remainder of the parliamentary term.
The informal coalition agreement currently underpinning that alliance has come under repeated strain in the last year, as the EPP has increasingly relied on a right-wing majority, joining forces with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and far-right groups on key migration and climate files.