Wednesday 8 July 2009

Graham Watson loses and EuroparlTV interviews Jerzy Buzek


I have already written some words about Jerzy Buzek, but now that the Liberal Graham Watson has withdrawn from the race, it is sure that Buzek will be elected EP president next week.


If you read ELDR's press release, they are hiding their cowardice and strive for parliamentary power (see Jean Quatremer on the committee deals here and here) in the last line, but they cannot hide that Watson's campaign for the EP presidency has gloriously failed.

This is also a personal loss for Watson: Now with his group leadership passed to Guy Verhofstadt and, if I am not mistaken, without a committee chair, Watson will very likely disappear in the darkness of the European Parliament's day-to-day work. Maybe he'll get a smaller post in ALDE or the ELDR.

But another one can shine: Jerzy Buzek.

Once a Solidarność leader and a Polish prime minister, re-elected as MEP and prevailing over his internal EPP competitor Mario Mauro as well as over Watson, he will now become the next president of the European Parliament.

In the EuroparlTV interview he is still very reluctant to show his joy - he is politician enough to wait until he is elected - but you can witness a very relaxed person with a lot of life experience:



We will have to see what kind of president he wil be - in front of the European Greens he was asking for more lively debates in the European Parliament - but he cannot be more boring than his predecessor Hans-Gert Pöttering...

2 comments:

Cédric said...

This is exactly what I thought this afternoon at the EP presidential "debate" without Watson. Poor Graham!
Concerning Buzek, he seems to be a very good candidate. Anyway his election is already assured.

Peter Adler said...

A temporary committee on "Financial Crisis" is likely to be created. Chair: G. Watson...