MEPs have today voiced their support for French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde’s candidature for the recently vacated position as head of the International Monetary Fund.

The position has traditionally been awarded to a European, with an American given the head of the World Bank position, but this year developing and emerging economies are pushing for the position to be awarded to a candidate from outside of Europe’s borders.

However, Ms Lagarde, who speaks near-perfect English, remains the leading candidate and favourite for the job, and has also received the support of the European Commission. In a statement delivered before MEPs meeting in Strasbourg for their June plenary session, the Economic Commissioner Olli Rehn told MEPs that the Commission would back her bid, saying she had "demonstrated global leadership" during France's presidency of the G20 and possessed “strong knowledge" of the EU's economies and decision-making bodies.

MEPs from all sides of the house then rose to speak in the short debate held last night and affirm her candidature and Europe’s influence in the global finance body. That is all except UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who instead spoke out against Ms Lararde's candidacy, describing her as a "Eurofanatic" and a "highly unsuitable candidate". [Footage of the debate below from BBC Democracy Live].


But she can count on the support of South West Conservative MEP Julie Girling. Appearing on Sky New’s Press Review two weeks previously, she said: “In Brussels [she is] certainly very well regarded, a great polyglot, and I admire her.

“Forget the politics, she is a strong, powerful, and influential woman and I’d like, from that point of view, to see Christine get a good shot at this.[…] I think she’d be really good for this.”

Labels: Julie Girling

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South West MEP Giles Chichester has been nominated by the ECR group to be their candidate for the vacant position of Vice-President of the European Parliament.

In a statement posted on the group’s official website, Mr Chichester’s nomination was “agreed through an acclamation”, and has the support of Jan Zahradil, the group’s chair, who said: "Giles is an excellent candidate who commands respect across the chamber".

The long-serving MEP said he was delighted to be selected. “I have been an active member of this parliament for 17 years and I hope that my colleagues and many friends will give me the opportunity to represent it as a vice-president,” he said.

The vacancy has become available after German ALDE MEP Silvana Koch-Mehrin resigned her vice-presidency position amid claims she plagiarised her university thesis.

There are 14 vice-presidency positions available and there tends to be an agreement made between the groups when dividing up the posts and thus candidates are usually elected without formal opposition.

However this is set to change following the actions in 2009 of Edward McMillan-Scott, who while a member of the Conservative party within the ECR group, successfully challenged his party's formal candidate Michał Kamiński, was elected, and subsequently expelled from the Conservative party. He later crossed the floor to join the Liberal Democrats (ALDE) but sits as a Non-attached Member in the Parliament.

Now the fourth biggest group in the Parliament thanks to the defection of UKIP MEP David Campbell-Bannerman, the ECR group argues that it is entitled to a vice-president under the standard formula for calculating positions within the Parliament.

Vice-presidents are elected for two and a half years, and according to theParliament the belief within the ALDE group is that the vacant vice-presidency position belongs to them and they inherited an additional spot when Mr McMillan-Scott changed political groups. They therefore expect the German ALDE delegation to nominate one of their own to take the post in light of Ms Koch-Mehrin’s resignation which would be endorsed by the group and then by parliament.

But this now looks set to be bitterly contested by the ECR group, and with Mr Chichester’s nomination they have arguably chosen the strongest and most widely-respected candidate within their ranks.

Labels: Giles Chichester

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This morning – Thursday 2nd June 2011 - marks the 354th day since the inconclusive Belgian elections held last June 13th, and Belgium remains locked in a political impasse and without a federal government.

As a result it finally passes the previous world record of days without an administration held by the Kingdom of Cambodia who spent 353 days without a government between the elections on 27th July 2003 and 30th June 2004 when a coalition agreement was finally signed.

The recently-re-elected leader of the Socialists Elio Di Rupo has been charged by the Monarch King Albert II to try and form a coalition government, and while he has already tried once to form a coalition since last June’s elections, the impression this time is that the process is more advanced than it was previously.

While negotiations drag on, the previous government of Yves Leterme continues in its day-to-day role as caretaker.

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