Who is Roberta Metsola, the anti-abortion elected to the presidency of the European Parliament?


Agathe Cherki, edited by Manon Fossat
, modified to

11:40 a.m., January 18, 2022

The President of the European Parliament, the Italian Social Democrat David Sassoli, died on January 11th. To replace him, the MEPs elected his successor on Tuesday and it is a woman, which had not happened for twenty years. Roberta Metsola, a Maltese MEP who acted as the big favourite, was confirmed in this position.

Emmanuel Macron is due to visit the European Parliament on Wednesday to talk about his big plans for the French EU presidency. But in Strasbourg it is another news which occupies the benches of the Parliament. After the death of David Sassoli, the European Parliament now has a woman at its head, which had not happened for twenty years. Roberta Metsola, a Maltese MEP, from the Christian Democrat group and big favorite for this post, was elected.

This 42-year-old woman, a lawyer by training, is known to everyone in the European Parliament, where she already happens to chair certain debates. He is a rather appreciated personality, a “hard worker”, a “political beast”, some even say. A convinced European, in any case, who is very happy to talk to you about her Erasmus in Brittany. And above all, the MP has a good command of her files.

Opposed to abortion

But despite all his strengths, his candidacy made people cringe. Because Roberta Metsola, like the vast majority of her Christian Democrat colleagues in Parliament, is opposed to abortion. Her country, Malta, still considers the voluntary termination of pregnancy a crime.

Last summer, this mother of four children, for example, voted against the very first text of the European Parliament, which recognizes abortion as a fundamental right. The candidate therefore tried to reassure her detractors. During her hearing with the Socialists, she promised that if elected she would put her opinions aside and always support the majority position in Parliament. Which was obviously enough to convince.



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