Buzek elected head of the European Parliament

17th July 2009

Former Polish prime minister Jerzy Buzek has become the first man from a former communist state to become president of the European Parliament.


In what was seen as an indication of the growing prominence and influence of countries from the old socialist bloc, the 69-year-old Mr. Buzek took over the post following an election in which he won 555 of the 644 valid votes cast.

As well being as Poland’s prime minister in the late 1990s, Mr. Buzek also spent many years as an activist in Solidarity’s ranks fighting communism, and he said that his new job showed just how far he, and his country, had travelled.

“Once upon a time I hoped to be a member of the Polish parliament, in a free ...