Jose Manuel Barroso beams and shakes hands, celebrating his victory. A total of 382 members of the European Parliament have finally given him what he has been wanting for so long: a second five-year term at the head of the powerful European Commission in Brussels.
But despite his frozen smile, traces of frustration and irritation can be seen in his face, even in his moment of triumph. It is not the 219 MEPS who voted against him in Wednesday's vote or the 117 abstentions that are responsible for his mood. Rather, it is the insults and injuries which he has had to put up with in recent months -- and not just from political opponents but also from within his own camp. Most of the participants in the election actually consider Barroso to be the wrong choice.
Barroso is convincing "neither in terms of his program nor politically," said Martin Schulz, leader of the Socialist group in the European Parliament and a regular critic of Barroso. The Portuguese politician was simply "not appropriate and not electable," Schulz said.
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