Italy’s Antonio Tajani is the new president of the European Parliament after four rounds of voting.
Antonio Tajani beat his compatriot Gianna Pittella into second place by 351 votes to 282.
Tajani is a member of the centre-right EPP group, while Pittella sits with the centre-left Socialists and Democrats.
Liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt pulled out of the race to throw his weight behind Tajani, an ex-spokesman for former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi.
It means his EPP grouping will control all three top jobs at the EU level: the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Council.
This could see Socialists ask for a reshuffle to secure at least one position.