Schultz wins second term as Parliament president

German Socialist Martin Schulz became the first person to be elected president of the European Parliament for the second time when he got more than 50% of the votes in the first round.

He will serve a second two and a half year term before handing over to a nominee from the European People’s Party, the centre right group to which Fine Gael belongs, as part of a post-election pact.

Around 25% of the new parliament are eurosceptics. The UK Independence Party did not put forward a candidate and its MEPs stood with their backs turned during the playing of the EU anthem, ‘Ode to Joy’. Their candidate for vice president, a member of Italy’s Five Star Beppe Grillo party, was the only one of the 15 for the 14 posts that failed to be elected.