Germany’s Martin Schulz has been elected as the new president of the European Parliament, the Euronews TV channel reports.
Widely tipped to win, the leader of the centre-left socialist group received 387 votes out of a possible 670.
A pre-existing deal between the chamber’s two biggest parties meant Schulz’s victory was all but certain.
Nevertheless, he failed to achieve a total landslide. Rival runners for the presidency, British MEPs Diana Wallis and Nirj Deva, enjoyed substantial support, taking just over 140 votes each.
Schulz replaces out-going president and former Polish prime minister Jerzy Buzek who has held the post for two and half years.
