Name that president

Date: 31/10/1996

These are tiresome times for Spanish Christian Democrat Euro MP José María Gil-Robles Gil-Delgado.

He thought his route to the European Parliament presidency after German Socialist Klaus Hänsch would be a cruise, thanks to the you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours carve-up between the political parties.

It is, after all, the European People's Party's turn - and you don't get surnames any more impressive than Gil et cetera Gil et cetera.

But while the fact that it is the EPP's turn is not being questioned - or not much anyway - the decision as to which politician should ascend to the pinnacle is no longer a foregone conclusion.

Until now the main opposition to Gil et cetera has come from his party colleague, Frenchwoman Nicole Fontaine, but her chances were considered slim because her name is a bit ordinary.

But now Greek MEP Georgios Anastassopoulos has thrown his hat into the ring and Gil et cetera has a real fight on his hands. “Anastassopolous' name is marginally more unpronounceable, but Gil-Robles Gil-Delgado looks better on the headed notepaper,” commented one insider.

Anast-et-cetera has been at the centre of much parliamentary activity over the past 12 years as chairman of the transport committee, chairman of the conference of committee chairmen and latterly as leader of the parliamentary delegation negotiating information policy with the Commission.

He has also been used as a political fireman to tackle one-off problems, such as defusing a potentially-damaging strike by the Parliament's free-lance interpreters.

The EPP's final selection will take place on 13 November, with the full Parliament voting in January.

Anastassopoulos remains an outsider, but if he were to win, he would be the first Greek president after two French, two Germans, one Dutch, one Briton and one Spaniard.

As Entre Nous went to press, Gil-Robles Gil-Delgado was ahead by a name.