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Elaine McCallig
Jan 24, 2022
Tiny Kox elected as the next president of the Parliamentary Assembly
YouTube / PACE
Dutch politician Tiny Kox has been announced as the next president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
The results of the presidential ballot were announced this afternoon at the opening sitting of PACE’s 2022 winter plenary session.
Out of 244 valid votes, Kox obtained 164 votes while runner-up Mariia Mezentseva obtained 80.
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When the news was announced on Twitter by PACE’s Twitter account, everyone seemed to be thinking one thing…
I can\u2019t deny this made me giggle when I read the namehttps://twitter.com/PACE_News/status/1485592749814464512\u00a0\u2026— Chris Wiegman (@Chris Wiegman) 1643032686
OK, pack it up and go home everyone. This wins twitter.https://twitter.com/PACE_News/status/1485592749814464512\u00a0\u2026— David Kernohan (@David Kernohan) 1643032811
Representation!https://twitter.com/PACE_News/status/1485592749814464512\u00a0\u2026— Alan (@Alan) 1643032622
"Are there any Tiny Kox in here?" https://twitter.com/PACE_News/status/1485592749814464512\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/OxvHCFqjtS— Samuel Cohen\ud83d\udea9 (@Samuel Cohen\ud83d\udea9) 1643028898
https://twitter.com/pace_news/status/1485592749814464512\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/v8a1e3RVLh— Sam Morgan (@Sam Morgan) 1643031691
Although there were some light-hearted jokes made this afternoon, Kox received plenty of congratulatory messages too:
My warm congratulations to Senator and former colleague Tiny Kox, who was elected the new President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe today. I wish him success in his new position and look forward to working with him in the years ahead. @PACE_President @CoEhttps://twitter.com/PACE_News/status/1485592749814464512\u00a0\u2026— Wopke Hoekstra (@Wopke Hoekstra) 1643035776
A true supporter of human rights Tiny Kox is elected President of PACE. Congratulations Mr. Kox, civil society & independent media have been waiting for your leadership in the @CoE PA for a long time. We are looking forward for cooperation with your office for the nex 2 years.https://twitter.com/pace_news/status/1485592749814464512\u00a0\u2026— EMIN HUSEYNOV (@EMIN HUSEYNOV) 1643034691
Gefeliciteerd Tiny Kox @PACE_President!https://twitter.com/pace_news/status/1485592749814464512\u00a0\u2026— Vera Bergkamp (@Vera Bergkamp) 1643034856
Tiny Kox, leader of the Socialist Party in the Senate of Netherlands and President of the Unified European Left Group was elected new President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Observed with him several elections.pic.twitter.com/2OCqy3LAqH— Reinhold Lopatka (@Reinhold Lopatka) 1643028378
A new president has just been elected by @PACE_News. \n\nCongratulations to Tiny Kox of the Netherlands and the United European Left Group!pic.twitter.com/2ePtoTyCxm— EU Delegation to CoE (@EU Delegation to CoE) 1643028020
I tweeted about Tiny Kox months ago, I'm glad to see this veteran senator is finally getting the recognition he deserves.https://twitter.com/ikisnick/status/1379149690126614528\u00a0\u2026— Nick Just Is (@Nick Just Is) 1643031559
PACE is one of the two statutory arms of the Council of Europe, and typically meets four times a year for week-long plenary sessions in Strasbourg.
The current session, which ends on Friday, will hear debates on Covid-19 public health measures, combating rising hate against LGBTQ+ people in Europe, and the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
After the results were read out, Kox took his seat at the top of the chamber and said human rights, and their implementation, will remain at the core of the Council of Europe’s strategic framework.
He said he is looking forward to working with the newly elected president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.