EU Assembly elects ex-Polish PM as president

[July 14, 2009]  STRASBOURG, France (AP) -- The European Parliament elected Jerzy Buzek as its president Tuesday, making the ex-Polish premier and pro-democracy activist the first easterner from a former Communist country to head a major EU institution.

A leading member of the Solidarity trade union that sank Communism in Poland in the late 1980s, Buzek won 555 of the 644 valid votes cast -- an outright majority in the first ballot at the inaugural session of the new 736-member EU assembly.

His nearest opponent, Swedish Green Party member Eva-Britt Svenson, won only 89 votes.

Many political leaders in the assembly likened Buzek's election as a final healing of Europe's old East-West division, as did Buzek, a center-right politician.

"Once upon a time I hoped to be a member of the Polish parliament, in a free Poland," he said. "Today I have become the president of the European Parliament, something I could never have dreamed of."

Buzek, 69, called his election "a measure of Europe can change."

He drew a standing ovation from an assembly he will lead for two-and-a-half years. A still unnamed socialist will succeed him for the next two-and-a-half years, under a tradeoff between politicians of the left and the right in the EU assembly.

Buzek's election reflects conservative gains in the June elections in many of the 27 EU countries and comes as the EU is suffering from a deep crisis of confidence.

The June 4-7 EU assembly elections saw a record low turnout of under 44 percent reflecting widespread disenchantment with the bloc, especially its expansion plans.

If Irish voters ratify a long-delayed EU reform treaty in an Oct. 2 referendum, the parliament will gain significant legislative powers.

But should they repeat their 'no' of a 2008 referendum, the assembly will remain a talk shop with less say over the EU budget or the ability to co-write EU laws and international accords with EU governments -- powers foreseen in the reform treaty.

The EU leaders signed the reform treaty in Lisbon in 2007. Ireland is the last to ratify. Buzek pledged to work hard to get Irish voters to say 'yes' to the reform treaty.

Buzek was a Solidarity activist. After the demise of Communism, he was a right-wing premier in Poland from 1997-2001. He is credited with bringing critical reforms to the health and pension systems and remains well-regarded by many Poles.

He entered the European Parliament in 2004 after Poland, seven other east European nations, Malta and Cyprus joined the bloc that year.

He was re-elected this year with nearly 400,000 votes -- the best result of any of the 50 Poles that won seats in the new assembly.

A poll released this week by the CBOS institute showed Buzek and ex-President Lech Walesa remaining very popular. It showed that 58 percent of Poles trust Buzek -- compared to 53 percent for Prime Minister Donald Tusk and 33 percent for President Lech Kaczynski.

In Warsaw, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski hailed Buzek's win as a "symbolic overcoming of the divisions between the old and new countries" of the EU.

"It is a great, excellent success for Jerzy Buzek and Poland," the PAP news agency quoted him as saying.

[Associated Press; By ROBERT WIELAARD]

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