The Congress of the European People's Party (EPP) today elected  Manfred WEBER as the EPP's candidate for President of the European Commission, ahead of the May 2019 European Parliament elections (see also  https://helsinki2018.epp.eu and https://weber.epp.eu). The vote took place on Day-2 of the EPP 2018 Congress in Helsinki. Of the 619 valid votes cast by the members of the Congress with voting rights, 492 voted for Manfred WEBER. Following the announcement of the result, EPP President Joseph DAUL gave the following statement: “I want to congratulate Manfred WEBER on his election as our lead candidate for the 2019 European elections. As President I am pleased that we had two great candidates representative of the new generation, bringing new energy to EPP and Europe. Manfred WEBER is a candidate with integrity and experience, who brings innovative ideas and the vision needed to defend our values, build bridges and shape the future of Europe.  As Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, he has worked tirelessly to provide solutions to the challenges facing European citizens.  With him, we look forward to the campaign; the chance to uphold our accomplishments, to preserve the European project and lead the way for a strong and united Europe with EPP at the helm. I would like to take the opportunity to also commend Alex STUBB for taking part in EPP’s Spitzenkandidat process and on his dynamic campaign. EPP pioneered the Spitzenkandidat process, we continue to support it as an advancement of European democracy and a means of bringing Europe closer to its citizens, making the EU more visible, more transparent and more accessible. For the upcoming elections, the EPP Campaign will address the concerns of all European citizens.  Our lead candidate will travel to the four corners of Europe, north, south, east and west. We will listen to our citizens concerns and engage with them about the direction Europe should take for the next 5 years. We will work tirelessly to continue placing the EU at the service of the people.” stated EPP President Joseph DAUL.