An ambiguous dealThe European Parliament’s president is elected every two and a half years by MEPs through a secret ballot. The main European political families – conservatives, socialists and the liberal Renew Europe – usually settle on a candidate beforehand to avoid a showdown in the chamber. In the secret ballot, the European Parliament’s president could be elected by an absolute majority of votes cast in any of the first three rounds. According to people in the room, some pushed to strike a backroom deal with the EPP, backing Metsola in exchange for concessions. “Socialists should have moved earlier to call the EPP’s bluff by tabling a candidate before the summer,” another MEP from a different political group told Euronews.