LOC23:29
20:29 GMT
Antonio Tajani the new President of the European Parliament
BRUSSELS, Jan 17 (KUNA) -- Antonio Tajani, 63, an Italian politician was elected as the new President of the European Parliament for the next two-and-a-half years.
He got 351 votes in the fourth and final ballot held in the EP in Strasbourg, France, tonight. His main rival Gianni Pittella also of Italy belonging to the Socialists and Democrats group received 282 votes.
Tajani belongs to the centre-right European Peoples' Party the biggest political group in the 751-member assembly.
He was one of the 14 vice-presidents of the European Parliament. Before his current role, he was the EU European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship and was also one of the vice-presidents of the European Commission.
Tajani was ex-spokesman for former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. (end)
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