Weber to lead European conservatives into 2019 elections

The European People's Party (EPP) on Thursday chose German EU lawmaker Manfred Weber as its lead candidate for the 2019 European Parliament elections, putting him in pole position for one of the European Union's top jobs.

Weber secured more than 79 per cent of the 619 votes cast at the conservative group's congress in Helsinki, after being challenged for the role by Finnish ex-premier Alexander Stubb.

Under the lead candidate system, political groups put forward their preferred choice of European Commission president, a post currently held by Jean-Claude Juncker. However, EU leaders will also have to approve the final decision.

The system was introduced to improve transparency and voter participation in EU elections.

Weber, who stems from Germany's traditionally conservative southern region of Bavaria, currently leads the EPP group in parliament, where it is the largest faction.

However, he is little-known outside Germany and EU political circles, and has never held a role in government.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Weber, noting that he had "built a bridge" in his campaign pitch between his Bavarian home and the European task ahead.

Weber's Christian Social Union is the Bavarian sister party of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union.

Weber's strongest rival will likely be Frans Timmermans, the lead candidate of the Party of European Socialists. Smaller political groups are also in the process of picking their favourites.

The lead candidates are expected to campaign across Europe on behalf of their groups in the run-up to the May elections, although they can each stand only in their own country.

The post of commission president is considered one of the top EU jobs. The role of the EU's executive is to propose laws, ensure that they are respected and negotiate agreements with third countries, for example on trade. The Brussels-based institution has 32,000 staff.

If successful, Weber would be the second German commission president, following Walter Hallstein who was the first person to hold the post, from 1958-67. At the time, the European Economic Community - the precursor to the EU - had just six member states.