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Martin Schulz reelected as EP president

01 July 2014 23:34 (UTC +04:00)

Schulz, who was elected on Tuesday, is the first president in the history of the EP to be reelected for a second term.

"I would like to thank you for the trust that you have invested in me. It's an extraordinary honor. I do have a particular duty and I take it very seriously,” Schulz said upon his reelection.

"If we are serious about the European Union as a force for peace, then our economic power must be used politically so that those who want to trade with us accept the rule of law, and do not practice the might of the stronger," he also said.

The German lawmaker received 409 votes out of the 612 votes cast in the parliament's seat in Strasbourg.

The reelection of Schulz follows the EP’s success in nominating its candidate Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission president despite strong opposition from Britain.

The 28-nation bloc voted 26 to 2 on June 27, electing Juncker, who led Luxembourg for nearly two decades, to replace Jose Manuel Barroso.

In early June, the British Prime Minister David Cameron threatened that the UK would exit the European Union if Juncker becomes the president.

Juncker, 59, was instrumental in forming the euro currency and helping Europe weather a financial crisis when he was heading the Eurogroup of finance ministers up until 2013.

The UK Conservatives claim that the European Commission is being politicized by the European Parliament.