Roberta Metsola says she still can't believe that she has made it to the top post of the European Parliament.

"I still cannot believe it and I haven't had the time to process it," Metsola said late on Tuesday.

"But tonight I plan to start reading the hundreds of messages I received from Malta and Gozo. I also wish to meet my parents because I haven't seen them yet. I want to hug them before they return to Malta." 

Metsola was elected president of the European Parliament in a landslide vote that saw her capture 74 per cent of the vote in the first round. She is the first Maltese person to lead a European institution and the third woman to serve as president of the European Parliament. 

Her parents, along with her husband, were in Strasbourg for the election and watched proceedings from the gallery. 

In a brief, hectic, interview she explained her stance on abortion and on migration - issues which featured prominently in her first press conference.  

"We cannot speak of solidarity for everything except for human beings who are dying at sea. We must find a solution and if we don't, we will have to answer for it in the next election," she said.

We also ask the newly-elected parliament president if her new role spells an end to her ambitions in domestic politics - most notably any potential aspirations she might have to eventually become PN leader. 

See what Metsola had to say in the video above.