Metsola eyeing third term as EP president - report

Roberta Metsola is eyeing a third term as European Parliament president, according to a report by a Brussels-based news website.

Euractiv reported on Wednesday that the Maltese politician is aiming to do what no other president has done before - a move that could see her hold the post until 2029.

She is currently in her second 30-month term. No previous president has ever run the institution for more than five years.

The report suggests Metsola and her European People's Party (EPP) are looking to exploit the diminished standing of the Socialist and Democrat (S&D) group, which, under a long-standing, informal "gentleman's agreement," would normally be due to nominate the next Parliament president in 2027.

Times of Malta questions to Metsola's office remained unanswered.

'On full campaign mode'

Metsola, who was re-elected to her second term in July 2024, is "on full campaign mode," the report said, leveraging her popularity across the political spectrum, from the centre to even some parts of the far-right, in a push to secure the unprecedented third mandate.

"She granted the far-right a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk, the murdered MAGA activist, by bundling it with other topics, such as the Manchester antisemitic terror attack," the report noted.

"And she also did not stop the Patriots from imposing a debate about the danger that migrants pose to women and children."

According to the website, EPP leader Manfred Weber is strongly backing Metsola’s re-election in order to maintain his own grip on the EPP Group leadership. That way, she would not be able to take his spot.

But this potential political manoeuvre also risks provoking a fierce backlash from the Socialists, who view the presidency as their entitlement under a traditional power-sharing deal.

The report quoted one diplomat warning that reneging on the agreement could seriously damage the Parliament’s internal centrist balance.