This Irish Woman Is In The Running For The European Parliament Presidency

Mairead McGuinness of Fine Gael has announced that she will be running for the position as president of the European Parliament. She has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for 12 years and represents Ireland’s Midlands and North-West.

McGuinness is one of four politicians in the running to be the European People’s Party candidate. And it has been suggested that whoever their lucky candidate is, is almost certain to claim the presidency as their own.

This comes after current president, Germany’s Martin Schulz, recently announced that he would step down as head of the European Parliament, returning to national politics.

Announcing his departure, Schulz told reporters in Brussels:

I will not run as president of the European parliament for a third term next year, I will run for the German Bundestag as the head of the list of my party, the SPD, in North Rhine-Westphalia.

It was not an easy decision, as it is an honour to be the president of the European parliament.

Speaking on Morning Ireland yesterday, McGuinness said that there were three weeks of canvassing to do and that the position was by no means secured. She has also stated that she hoped her gender doesn’t influence the decision either way - saying she hoped she wasn’t so much a ‘good female candidate’, as a ‘good candidate who is a woman’.

The decision on who will be the EPP’s candidate will be made in three weeks time.