The candidates Ska KELLER (Greens/EFA, DE), Sira REGO (GUE/NGL, ES), David-Maria SASSOLI (S&D, IT) and Jan ZAHRADIL (ECR, CZ) speak in the chamber before the vote to elect the President of the European Parliament, in Strasbourg.

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

Strasbourg

plenary session

vote

KELLER, Ska (Greens/EFA, DE)

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

election of the President of the European Parliament (T)

REGO, Sira (The Left, ES)

Election of the President of the European Parliament: extracts from the speeches by the candidates

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/20071122/I174800Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Atmosphere shots at the EP chamber prior to the vote, candidates arriving and talking to colleagues (9 shots)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, In line with the procedures of the House, we are going to elect the President of the European Parliament in total freedom and independence, and not in line with any external arrangement. Applause

SOUNDBITE (English), Ska KELLER, (Greens/EFA, DE), <p>We cannot accept that the presidency of this house is being treated as a negotiation chip in old school backroom Council negotiations. (Applause) This is not the signal we need to send to the citizens. There can be no doubt the European Union is more important than ever. In the wake of climate crisis, growing social inequalities and international confrontation we need more Europe, more than ever. (...) And as president I want to renew the trust and I want to make sure that the European Parliament is the space where citizens are discussing.</p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Ska KELLER, (Greens/EFA, DE), This house has been for many years fighting to defend and increase our rights as parliament because that means increasing the rights and representation of the citizens. The citizens who elect us, who send us to this chamber, and to continue this work of parliamentary rights I am candidate today for the honour of chairing this Parliament and I would be grateful for your support. Thank you so much. Applause

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Sira Abed REGO (GUE/NGL, ES), <p>We call on governments and the European Commission to stop creating these false narratives. We want real feminist policies, we want that daily life and care become a real political category. Feminism needs to be properly involved in the agenda of the EU institutions, not simply as a label, but as a real basis on which to build our society. We want to tell the stories of the invisible women who helped build our societies even though history tries to erase us. We are the ones that support the foundations of our society.</p>

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David-Maria SASSOLI (S&amp;D, IT), If you place your trust in me to be president of this Parliament then we will go forward together in our shared endeavours, our shared battles to create a Parliament that is more modern, sustainable and more accessible to our citizens. And I will give my every commitment to ensure that this Parliament is fully respected, and that it is respected by states and by institutions. You colleagues are here because you represent hop, but you also represent the anger of our citizens. And you certainly represent the emotions of our people, the feelings of our European people who have voted for you. I will always have my door open to discuss anything you wish with me. I will listen very attentively because I think it is absolutely vital that we listen to the discourse of Europe. We need to listen to everybody we need to listen to the men, to the women, to the young people of Europe. And I want to listen to all these young people. I want them to be able to travel across Europe to get to know people from other countries, to live, to learn and to love together.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David-Maria SASSOLI (S&amp;D, IT), Nothing can be done if we don't fight for it. Nothing will last without institutions. So we need to fight and we need to defend our institutions and I think that Jean Monnet's lessons are more up to date today than ever before. Thank you very much. Applause

SOUNDBITE (English), Jan ZAHRADIL (ECR, CZ), I believe that we should and we must restore balance between European level and national level, which enables us to work together and also to restore all to find new balance amongst our institutions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jan ZAHRADIL (ECR, CZ), Since 2004 over the last 15 years 13 EU member countries joined the European Union. Eleven of them from Central and Eastern European region and as far as I know I am the only person from that part of Europe applying for any top job in the European Union. And I think that we need also that kind of balance. (...) Thank you for every vote in advance. Applause.