After a protracted behind-the-scenes political dance, the Portuguese prime minister Jose Manuel Durão Barroso has become an official candidate for European Commission president - having secured the backing of Germany, France and the UK.
The 48-year old, who began his political career as a Maoist student and eventually became Portugal's leader is 2002, is set to be nominated for the job at a summit in Brussels tomorrow (29 June).
Irish prime minister and current head of the EU Bert...
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