Italian MEP Antonio Tajani is the European People’s Party (EPP Group) candidate for the Presidency of the European Parliament.

He is the EPP’s nominee to takeover from the current German President Martin Schulz.

The EPP Group, which Fine Gael MEPs are members of, elected its candidate for the post of President of the European Parliament this evening.

Mairead McGuinness, Irish MEP for the Midlands North-West, was in the running for the nomination but withdrew from the race this evening, December 13, following a round of voting.

Four candidates were in contention for the EPP nomination. The other two candidates were French MEP Alain Lamassoure and Slovenian MEP Alojz Peterle.

The first round of voting saw Tarjani receive 94 votes, McGuinness receive 57, Lamassoue receive 34 and Peterle with 17 votes.

Currently a Vice-President of the Parliament, the Midlands North-West MEP officially confirmed that she would run for the Presidency of the European Parliament to Europarl Radio last month.

Like McGuinness, Tarjani is also a Vice President of the European Parliament and has previously held the role of responsibility for Industry and Entrepreneurship with the European Commission.

In January the Parliament will vote as a plenary for who is to be the President of the House.

This evening, Ireland South MEP Sean Kelly tweeted his support for McGuinness saying that it’s not easy for a small country to break the power of big countries.

[yes-app]

kelly-tweet

[/yes-app]

The EPP Group is the largest in the European Parliament.

It brings together centre and centre-right pro-European political forces from the Member States of the EU, coming together to advance the goal of a more competitive and democratic Europe, closer to its citizens, and a social market economy.

As the largest political Group in a Parliament where non-socialist parties now enjoy a clear majority, the EPP Group is in a stronger position than any other to set this body’s political agenda and to win its most critical votes.