The liberal group within the European Parliament, Renew Europe, will elect its new president subsequent Thursday (25 January) at 8 am, with the 2 candidates, the French Valérie Hayer and Dutch Malik Azmani, interim group President, as the highest contenders.
Renew Europe’s management selected Wednesday afternoon (17 January) at a closed-door assembly to open the electoral battlefield to choose the subsequent group president, after former chief Stéphane Séjourné was appointed as France’s overseas minister on 11 January.
The 2 standing candidates are French MEP Valérie Hayer and present interim President, Dutch Malik Azmani, two sources near the matter instructed Euractiv.
With eight days to the management vote, the 2 candidates have a good timeframe inside which to garner a majority and have already began making an attempt to collect assist by contacting MEPs places of work, Euractiv understands.
Renaissance’s Hayer represents French President Emmanuel Macron’s choose to make sure his continued affect over the group.
Then again, Azmani represents an try by ALDE – a European liberal alliance, shaped in 1976, which has largely been at odds with Macron-allied newcomers – to regain management of Renew, with some seeing him because the “continuity” candidate since he’s already interim president.
Hayer supporters, however, keep that she is a better option for stability and continuity, since she is the political successor of Séjourné.
Macron’s celebration, Renaissance, took over Renew’s management from the opposite foremost faction, the ALDE celebration, in autumn 2021 following Romania’s Dacian Ciolos’ resignation.
The 2 factions have been competing for the group’s management since Macron’s La Republique en Marche motion joined the European Parliament in 2019 and ended ALDE’s fifteen-year-long tenure as the top of the liberals. The fusion of each ALDE and Macron’s celebration gave place to Renew Europe.
At a time when the far-right is surging throughout Europe, particularly in France, Azmani’s election may spell hassle for Macron, who wants to keep up management over the group to push for French pursuits on the EU stage.
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