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Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola elected EU Parliament president
By EUobserver
Maltese centre-right MEP Roberta Metsola on Tuesday was elected the European Parliament's new president, in the first ballot with 458 votes. She is the first woman in 20 years to take the helm of the 705-member assembly. She has been criticised for her anti-abortion stance, although she pledged she will represent the parliament's view on reproductive rights. Metsola succeeds Italian socialist David Sassoli, who died earlier this month.