sion as a whole , could take office without the approval of Parliament was seen as the democratic counterpart to this . And , since the choice of a new President would be one of the first things a newly elected Parliament would vote on , it became inevitable that the choice of President would feature among the issues of the European election campaign . This has resulted in European political parties nominating their preferred candidate ahead of the elections , much as national parties do for the position of Prime Minister in most European countries , ahead of national parliamentary elections . These party candidates are often referred to as their ‘ lead candidate ’ ( Spitzenkandidat ) as they also lead their party ’ s election campaign , not least in televised election debates .
First meeting of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community on 10 September 1952 , charired by Paul-Henri Spaak . | © Communautés Européennes - Source : PE
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