Spaanse socialist Josep Borrell Fontelles nieuwe voorzitter Europees Parlement (en)

EUOBSERVER / STRASBOURG - Spaniard Josep Borrell Fontelles has been elected as President of the European parliament after gaining the majority backing of MEPs at the first time of asking.

From the 700 MEPs voting, Mr Borrell gained 388 votes at the first ballot, 64 more than was need to garner an necessary absolute majority of votes cast.

The other two candidates, Polish Liberal Bronislaw Geremek, who was supported by the Liberals and French communist Francis Wurtz gained 208 and 51 votes respectively.

The election of Mr Borrell, 57, did not come as a surprise following a recent "technical" deal reached between the two biggest groups - the centre-right EPP and the Socialists.

According to this agreement, the socialist will lead the parliament for the first half of the five-year legislature while the EPP leader Hans-Gert Poettering takes over in the second half.

This agreement was however criticised by the Liberal and Democrats group leader Graham Watson, who described it as "an unnatural" alliance.

The Greens also derided the agreement.

However, Mr Borrell denied that there is a link between the deal and possible Socialist support for the centre-right candidate for Commission President José Manuel Durao Barroso - who faces a vote of approval by MEPs on Thursday.

"Europe is more than a political experience to me, it is a vital project", Mr Borrell said before the votes.

"If I am elected I will represent the diversity of this house and I will defend its role before the other community institutions", he said.

Versed in four languages, including Catalan, the former minister and member of the Convention on the future of Europe praised former European Parliament President Pat Cox, who described his presidency as "brilliant in nature".

Among his future tasks, he will have the job to take up again the issue of the Members' Statute which sets out an equal salary for all MEPs, after it was rejected by some member states earlier this year.