European Parliament elects new vice-president, backs proxy voting around childbirth
MEPs on Thursday elected Tilly Metz as a Parliament Vice-President and endorsed changes to the statute governing MEPs’ work that would let them delegate their votes before and after childbirth.
Metz (Greens/EFA, LUX) won the necessary absolute majority of votes cast in the first round and was appointed the eleventh Parliament Vice-President. She replaces Nicolae Ștefănuță (Greens/EFA, Romania), who stepped down after being elected Co-Chair of the Greens/European Free Alliance group.
Of 579 MEPs voting, 42 abstained, leaving 537 valid votes cast. An absolute majority of 269 was needed. Metz received 423 votes, against 114 for Rada Laykova (ESN, Bulgaria).
Under Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, when a vacancy arises, a new vice-president is elected in the existing order of precedence and serves the remainder of the predecessor’s term. The composition of Parliament’s Bureau, made up of the President, 14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors, should broadly reflect the size of the political groups.
Nominations may be made by one-20th of Parliament’s component members or by a political group. A candidate needs an absolute majority of votes cast by secret ballot to be elected.
Proxy voting for new mothers
In a separate vote, Parliament approved the proposed changes by 578 votes to 25, with four abstentions. This paves the way for pregnant MEPs and new mothers to delegate their votes in plenary. The stated aim is to help mothers take part in politics while upholding transparency, accountability and the integrity of parliamentary voting.
Under the revised rules, MEPs could arrange for another member to vote on their behalf from three months before the expected birth until six months after childbirth. The delegation would be voluntary and could be withdrawn.
The framework includes safeguards. Both the MEP delegating the vote and the member exercising it would be identified in the minutes of the relevant sitting and in the published voting records. Proxy votes would count towards quorums, voting thresholds and majorities. Any disagreement by the member who delegated their vote would not change the outcome, though corrections could be made under standard procedures. Each MEP could exercise no more than one delegated vote at a time, a restriction intended to preserve the integrity of the process.
Parliament said the mechanism seeks to reduce barriers to political engagement for women during pregnancy and early motherhood and to advance gender equality within its institutions.
Lara Wolters (S&D, Netherlands), rapporteur for the Legal Affairs Committee, said: “Today’s vote is a step towards a more fair and representative parliament, giving women the options they need in modern life. We want to represent those who elected us, but we also want to be there for our newborns. I am proud of today’s vote, but I wish we could be doing the same for young fathers, or for MEPs adopting children. That is a fight we’ll need to continue waging.”
Under Article 223(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the European Commission must give its opinion and the Council must give its consent before Parliament can hold a final vote. The new provisions will take effect once all EU member states have ratified the amended European Electoral Act.
The initiative was launched by Parliament President Roberta Metsola in 2025 as part of broader efforts to reduce barriers to political engagement during pregnancy and early motherhood, promote gender equality and bring working arrangements in representative institutions in line with modern needs. The Council adopted the required amendments to the European Electoral Act in May 2026, establishing the basis for the proposed introduction of proxy voting.
