Frenchman Stéphane Séjourné is now the sole candidate in the internal campaign to win back the post of president of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, after Dutchwoman Sophie in ’t Veld unexpectedly withdrew from the campaign at a group meeting late on Tuesday 12 October.
Noting the impossibility of uniting the majority behind her candidacy, Mrs in ’t Veld, after an “emotional” speech, announced her withdrawal from the race for the perch in order to preserve the cohesion of the group, she said. This decision leaves the Frenchman as the only candidate to take over after the equally unexpected resignation of Romanian Dacian Cioloş (see EUROPE 12869/31).
This is now a special case, as there is only one candidate. However, according to its internal rules, the group will vote on Tuesday 19 October in person at around 6pm on the sidelines of the plenary session in Strasbourg, a source assured us. The results will be known the same day in the evening.
Cioloş announced his resignation after being unexpectedly elected as head of his Romanian centrist party USRPLUS to engage in the upcoming national and local elections by 2024 (see EUROPE 12804/27). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)