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PACE to elect new President

27 January 2014 08:07 (UTC +04:00)

APA reports that the assembly members will elect either Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE) or Robert Walter (United Kingdom, EDG).

Mandate of French MP Jean-Claude Mignon, who has been PACE President from 2012, will expire in the winter session this year and the Assembly is to elect a new president for the next two years. Candidates are nominated by the political factions in PACE and according to the "gentlemen's agreement" basing on the rotation principle reached by political groups this year it is the turn of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group led by Anne Brasseur.

After the agreement on the principle of rotation, leaders nominated by their groups have been elected automatically so far. Thus, Robert Walter resigned from the chairmanship of the European Democrat Group and ran as an independent candidate. He was nominated by members of the various political groups in the organization, according to Article #14 of the rules of procedure on the election of PACE President.

In order to be elected, a candidate is to get a minimum of 159 votes – an absolute majority of the Assembly’s 317 Representatives – in the first or second round of voting. If this is not achieved, there is a third round and the candidate with the greatest number of votes is declared elected.