The nomination of a non-candidate for the leadership of the European Commission would turn the EU elections into a charade, said the European Left’s candidate for the EU executive, Alexis Tsipras. EURACTIV Greece reports.

In a communiqué published today (30 May), the candidate of the European Left for the presidency of the European Commission, Alexis Tsipras, opposed any candidate for the EU executive who didn’t compete in the EU elections.

EU heads of state and government on Tuesday night (27 May) in Brussels gave a mandate to Council President Herman Van Rompuy to start consultations in view of electing a new Commission President.

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On Sunday’s EU elections (25 May), leftist Syriza got 26.6% of the vote, followed by ruling center-right New Democracy with 22.1%, granting 6 and 5 seats respectively, in the new EU Parliament. The European Left in total scored 6%, ensuring 45 seats.

It’s a matter of democratic principle

Tsipras said that during the pre-election campaign, that the citizens of Europe were asked “to express their choice among five candidates, each of them selected by the major European parties. As candidates we campaigned, debated, and sought the votes of European citizens.”

“It is my position that the European Council should not nominate any candidate for the Presidency of the Commission, who did not compete in this election,” he stated, adding that the presentation of any other nominee would result in discrediting the recent EU election, “turning it into a charade”.

Tsipras continued, saying that it is a matter of a basic democratic principle as well as “moral obligation” for European Council to put forward the candidate who secured the leading position in the European election.

Tsipras added that despite disagreements with the EPP candidate, Jean-Claude Juncker, the latter won the election and thus, should be the first to attempt to form the required majority, starting negotiations with the other political groups.