Former Belgium Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, who is also president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group, declared that it is “time for change” on Friday (6 January). The politicians will need a majority of 376 votes to win the presidency. Verhofstadt’s ALDE have just 69 MEPs, while the S and Ds have 189 seats and the EPP have 216 MEPs.The first round of voting will commence on 17 January, with just months before Theresa May plans to invoke Article 50 – the mechanism to split from the EU – and start Brexit talks.
