The European People’s Party on Thursday chose Manfred Weber as its nominee for European Commission president over former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb.
Weber, the German leader of the EPP grouping in the European Parliament, will be the centre-right party’s Spitzenkandidat or “lead candidate” in the European Parliament election to be held in May.
In a speech to his party on Thursday, he said: “I stand here not only to ask for your support as a candidate, but I stand here to ask you for a mandate, a mandate to change Europe!”