EU leaders launch consultations on election of top executive

BRUSSELS - Leaders of the European Union (EU) have mandated President Herman Van Rompuy to start consultations with the newly-elected European Parliament on the election of a new top executive for the bloc.

"I intend to be in touch with the presidents of the newly constituted political groups (in the assembly) as soon as these groups are formed and their presidents elected," said Van Rompuy, who chairs the council of head of state and government of the 28 EU member states, on Tuesday night.

He added that he will also have bilateral talks on the issue with top leaders of member states.

Van Rompuy said, regarding the election of a new European Commission president, the top leaders of the EU had taken note of a letter sent by the leaders of the European Parliament on Tuesday.

The letter called on EU leaders to give former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker a clear mandate to form the required majority in the European Parliament for the top executive post.

Juncker is the candidate of the center-right European People's Party (EPP) political group for the post. With 213 out of the 751 seats, the EPP is the largest political group in the assembly, according to official provisional results updated on Tuesday afternoon.

Juncker's main contender is Martin Schulz of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, which ranks the second place with 191 seats.