President of the European Council Charles Michel (Photo: AFP).
Speaking to the media on January 7, President of the European Council Charles Michel announced that he will lead the list of candidates of the Reform Movement (MR) party running in the European parliamentary elections next June.
"I have decided to stand as a candidate in the parliamentary elections in June. That means I will continue my role as European President until I am sworn in as an MEP on July 16," said the 48-year-old politician , who was once the Belgian Prime Minister.
As European President, one of Mr. Michel's main tasks is to chair European Union conferences to agree on common solutions for the bloc to crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine.
Mr. Michel took office as President of the European Commission in 2019 and his term was supposed to end in November. However, EU leaders will now have to find a successor sooner.
If the EU fails to find a successor, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has often been at odds with the bloc’s leaders, could take over on an interim basis. Hungary is expected to take over the rotating presidency of the 27-member bloc from July 1.
Mr Michel's decision to resign has been criticised by some European politicians. One member of the European Parliament said Mr Michel had abandoned his duties like a captain abandoning his ship in a storm.
However, Mr. Michel believes that the European Council will soon find a new captain. He said that he informed EU leaders of his decision last weekend and received a positive response.
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