Renew proposes MEP Martin Hójsik as new Parliament vice president

BRUSSELS — Liberal Slovak MEP Martin Hojsík is in the running to become one of the European Parliament’s 14 vice presidents, after a spot opened up in the wake of September’s election in Slovakia.

Chaired by Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the bureau of vice-presidents makes decisions on how the €2-billion-a-year Parliament runs, including appointments of top civil servants, acquisition of properties, and agreeing rules for MEPs.

A current vice president, Michal Šimečka, is set to resign as he prepares to take up a seat in the national parliament, having led his Progressive Slovakia to the second-placed spot in the election.

Hojsík also represents Progressive Slovakia, which looks set to be the main opposition party in Slovakia, after populist Robert Fico struck a tentative coalition deal with the social democrats and a far-right party Wednesday.

“For me it’s humbling and I will try to do my best in order to get the confidence of the colleagues in the Parliament and deliver on it,” Hojsík told POLITICO, ahead of a secret vote to be held by all MEPs, possibly as early as next week in Strasbourg.

“I know it’s only a short time until the elections but there are still things that need to run smoothly and the Parliament bureau is one of them,” said Hojsík, a first-term MEP and former activist who is known for his work on environmental topics.

A pre-existing deal among the largest political groups governs who gets the seats in the powerful bureau, and keeps the far-right Identity and Democracy group out of the body.

A European People’s Party spokesperson said that it will not propose a rival candidate. A Socialists and Democrats spokesperson said the group had no plans to propose its own candidate, but added: “This does not mean endorsement of any candidate, whom we will evaluate and then take a decision.”