EPP-ALDE agreement for Tajani, (3)

(ANSA) - Strasbourg, January 17 - The European People's Party (EPP) and ALDE groups in the European Parliament have reached a cooperation agreement that effectively puts Italian Antonio Tajani of the EPP on track to become the next president of the EP. ALDE's liberal candidate Guy Verhofstadt has withdrawn his bid to be EP president. Tajani came top in the first round of voting on Tuesday with 274 votes. There were 683 valid votes, so the threshold that Tajani needed to reach was 342. Another Italian, Socialist candidate Gianni Pittella got 183 votes, followed by Stevens (77), Lambert (56), Forenza (50) and Rebega (43).
    Pittella, the head of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) caucus, said Tuesday that time of agreements between the biggest groups was over. "There won't be a grand coalition any more, a privileged agreement between the big groups, because there's a need for clarity - a clear, civil vision that is different from instability and paralysis," he said in speech before MEPs started voting to elect the successor to Martin Schulz.