Paris, Jul 16 (IANS): Maltese politician Roberta Metsola was on Tuesday re-elected as President of the European Parliament until 2027, with 562 votes in the first round.

Metsola won the election in the first round of voting, where she received an absolute majority of 562 votes cast out of 699 by secret paper ballot, among two candidates. She will continue to lead Parliament for the first two and a half years of the 10th legislative term.

Born in Malta in 1979, Metsola has been an MEP (Member of the European Parliament) since 2013. She was elected First Vice-President in November 2020, and was Parliament’s acting President after President Sassoli passed away in January, 2022.

She was thereafter elected President for the second half of the 9th legislative term, becoming the third female President of the European Parliament, after Simone Veil (1979-1982) and Nicole Fontaine (1999-2002).

"Together, we must stand up for the politics of hope, for the dream that is Europe. I want people to recapture a sense of belief and enthusiasm for our project. A belief to make our shared space safer, fairer, more just and more equal. A belief that together we are stronger and we are better. A belief that ours is a Europe for all," said Metsola after her election on Tuesday.

The 45-year-old is also the head of the Partit Nazzjonalista (PN) delegation within the European People's Party Group in the European Parliament.

The European Parliament comprises 720 members (MEPs), who are elected directly.