German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he has not yet decided whether will support the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, for another term at the head of the European Commission, reported DPA, quoted by BTA.
A day after the end of the European Parliament elections, Scholz gave a press conference where he repeated his position that "the chairmanship of the commission should be based on the democratic majority of the traditional democratic parties in the EP". He added that in the coming weeks he would consider whether to back Von der Leyen for another term at the head of the EU's executive body and that he had yet to decide who he would back for various top Brussels jobs.
Von der Leyen's centre-right European People's Party (EPP) won Sunday's election and remains the largest bloc in the EP.
Von der Leyen, who is a former minister from Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), called on the EU's social democratic and liberal parties to support her candidacy for a new term as head of the EC.
Meanwhile, it became clear that in Italy, where there was also preferential voting for the European elections, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was at the top of her party's lists in five regions, received 2.4 million preferences, ANSA reported, quoted by BTA.
Melloni has already stated that he will not go to the European Parliament, but will remain the Prime Minister of Italy.
The leading candidate of the “League” by Matteo Salvini - the controversial general Roberto Vanacci, known for many honors due to foreign missions, but also for a book criticizing the LGBT community, environmentalists and people of non-Italian descent, received 532,368 preferences. Salvini himself did not appear in these elections.
Among the other more interesting candidates with preferences is, as BTA already reported, Ilaria Salis, who is on trial in Hungary for an alleged attack on far-right activists. She was nominated as an MEP by the “Green Left Union” and was chosen.
The winner of the European elections is Meloni's party “Italian Brothers” with 28.81 percent, followed by Eli Schlein's center-left Democratic Party with 24.08 percent. In third place is “Movement 5 stars“ by 9.99 percent. In fourth place is “Forza Italia“ with 9.61 percent. In fifth place is “League” by 9 percent.
The barrier of 4 percent to enter the EP passes and “Green Left Union” with 6.73 percent.
The pro-European party “United States of Europe“ of former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and former European Commissioner Emma Bonino and the centrist party “Action“ of former minister in several governments Carlo Calenda.