Tracking: EP elections 2009 (X)

The German Social Democrats (SPD) have nominated Martin Schulz as their front-runner for the upcoming European elections next June. The executive committee of the party not surprisingly chose him by unanimous vote, as German sources report.

Schulz is currently the leader of Socialist Group (PES) in the European Parliament, and he became famous when in 2003 Prime Minister Berlusconi of Italy, then President of the European Council, compared him to a Nazi concentration camp guard during a questions and answers meeting in the European Parliament (video in Italian).

Martin Schultz has also been mentioned as a possible future EU Commissioner for Germany, following Günter Verheugen, the outgoing vice-president of the Commission (and also a social democrat).

However, the Christian Democrats of Chancellor Angela Merkel claim the Commissioner's seat in the next EU commission, something that will bring the coalition of Social and Christian Democrats into big troubles before the German national elections next September.

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Under the category "Tracking: EP elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009. So far: (9), (8), (7), (6), (5), (4), (3), (2), (1).