The Czech MEP Jan Zahradil is now the only candidate still in the race to become the Spitzenkandidat of the European Conservative parties in the European elections of May 2019.
German MEP Hans-Olaf Henkel, who was previously also in contention, “has withdrawn”, a parliamentary source told EUROPE on Tuesday 25 September.
No formal announcement has been made, for a number of reasons. The eligible postal votes are still being counted, with voting having closed on Friday 21 September. The Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE), of which Zahradil is a member, is seeking the support of its sister party, the European Christian Political Movement (ECPM), which has six members in the ECR group at the European parliament.
In 2014, the Conservatives did not appoint a Spitzenkandidat. Its members are opposed to the idea that the European citizens, rather than the heads of government, should appoint the President of the European Commission. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)