On Tuesday, June 25, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) elected a new Secretary General, Swiss politician Alain Berset.
This is stated on the website of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine.
"In the second round of the election, Mr Berset obtained 114 votes, a majority of the votes cast. The other candidates, Indrek Saar (Estonia) and Didier Reynders (Belgium) obtained 85 votes and 46 votes respectively," the statement reads.
It is worth mentioning that this was Didier Reynders' second attempt to become the Secretary General - the last time he lost in 2019, when Marija Pejčinović Burić was the candidate.
The Council of Europe Office in Ukraine adds that Alain Berset was a member of the Swiss Government from 2012 to 2023. During this period, he also served twice as President of the Confederation (in 2018 and 2023).
"As Minister, Mr Berset headed the Federal Department of Home Affairs. Before joining the Government, he was a member of the Swiss Federal Parliament from 2003 to 2011 and chaired the Council of States (the upper house of parliament) in 2008-9," the statement said.
Alain Berset will take up the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe for a five-year term beginning on September 18, 2024.
Earlier, Apostrophe wrote that Hungary will not block the negotiation process on Ukraine's accession to the EU.