Spitzenkandidat

The Spitzenkandidat process (German for 'lead candidate') is the method of linking the choice of President of the Commission to the outcome of the European Parliament elections, with each major European Political Party (not to be confused with the Political groups of the European Parliament) nominating their candidate for Commission President prior to the Parliamentary elections. The Spitzenkandidat of the largest party (or the one able to secure the support of a majority coalition) would then be proposed by the European Council to the European Parliament for election to the Commission Presidency.^[1]

This process was first followed in 2014, though its legitimacy was contested by some of the members of the European Council (with the UK and Hungarian Prime Ministers voting against the nomination of the EPP's Spitzenkandidat Jean Claude Juncker).