Tajani ahead in first round of EP voting

(ANSA) - Strasbourg, January 17 - EPP candidate Antonio Tajani came top in the first round of voting to elect the new president of the European Parliament 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).