Swedish politician Adnan Dibrani, originally from Kosovo, was elected as a member of the European Parliament as a candidate of the Social Democrats. Dibrani has already spent three terms in the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament, where he is a member of the finance committee. He was also a representative in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
In the statement he made when the Social Democrats announced him as a candidate, he expressed the hope that his background would be an added value in the job that awaits him.
“Not that I signed up for this. But I think it will be fun. I come from the Balkans and maybe in these times it is an advantage to have someone who understands both the East and the West", Dibrani said then, as reports eu.me.
He became known to the Montenegrin and regional public in March of last year, when, together with three other people, he rescued a baby from the icy Morača in a heroic act. He was part of the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which followed the election day in Montenegro. Then, in a statement for Pobjeda, he explained what happened that working day in Podgorica.
"I was crossing the bridge and looked towards the water when I saw a woman and a child floating in the river. Some other guys came, went down to the river and pulled the baby out of the water, while others called 911. I ran towards them and saw that they were holding the baby, which was not showing any signs of life. Since I have a small child at home, I knew what to do in these situations," Adnan said at the time.
After four months, Adnan came to Podgorica again and met with the family of the boy whose life he saved.
"What pleased me the most is that the boy is perfectly healthy, has successfully recovered and is just smiling," Dibrani told the media upon his return to Montenegro.
Adnan Dibrani was born in 1985. He was seven years old when his family moved from Kosovska Mitrovica to Sweden. He studied economics, and before entering politics he was a bank clerk. He is the first Albanian from Kosovo to sit as in the European Parliament.
The results of the European elections
In the elections for the European Parliament, the European People's Party achieved the best result with 184 parliamentary seats. The Socialist-Democratic Coalition won 139 seats, while the Renew Europe Group will get 80 mandates, and the Greens 52. The right-wing Identity and Democracy has 58, and the European Conservatives and Reformists 73 mandates. The liberals lost as many as 20 seats compared to the previous convocation, while the left gained 36 mandates.
The first task for the new MEPs will be to elect the head of the European Commission. NO single group has a majority in the European Parliament, which is why important decisions will require a coalition this time as well.
About 360 million people in 27 EU member states had the right to vote in the elections for the European Parliament, which lasted from Thursday to Sunday. The new convocation will have 720 deputies, 15 more than in the previous one.
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