Germany's Terry Reintke and Dutch Bas Eickhout will be lead candidates for European Greens in the upcoming European elections.

In four months Europe will be heading to the polls to elect a new European Parliament. On Saturday, the European Greens elected their lead candidates at their congress in Lyon, France.

The German Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Terry Reintke will lead the Greens into European elections. The 36 year old politician received 55% of the vote. The other two candidates Latvian Elina Pinto who has been working for the European Commission in Luxembourg since April 2023 and the Italian Benedetta Scuderi received around 24% and 20% of the votes respectively.

She feels "overwhelmed and grateful for the vote of confidence" that the European Greens have given her, Reintke elatedly shared after the results were declared.

The Greens also chose the Netherland's Bas Eickhout as co-Spitzenkandidat. He explained that the Greens will bring the antidote to the rise in extreme right-wing politics in Europe. He wants to demonstrate how a green, socially inclusive Europe is possible.

RTL

Terry Reintke a Bas Eickhout, d'Spëtzekandidate vun den EU-Gréngen / © AFP

European elections will be taking place from the 6th until the 9th June 2024. 400 million voters from 27 EU Member States will vote for 720 MEPs for a five year mandate. After the elections, a new European Commission President and new commissioners will also be chosen.