Charles Michel, President of the European Council, set to resign ahead of schedule

Charles Michel has announced that he will resign early as European Council president in order to run as a Member of the European Parliament. While his term was set to end in November, the European Parliament elections are scheduled to take place in June. The next European Council president requires a majority vote from the EU's 27 leaders. If a successor is not found by then, Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, will temporarily assume the role. Hungary is slated to chair the Council meetings starting from July. Michel, who has been the chief of the EU Council since late 2019 and previously served as Belgian prime minister, stated that he wants to account for his work and propose a vision for Europe's future. His plan is to lead the liberal Reformist Movement party's list in the European Parliament elections before stepping down as Council president in July. The pressure is now on EU leaders to find a replacement before Hungary assumes the rotating presidency on 1 July. Orban, known for his close ties with Russia, met with Vladimir Putin last year and has shown a readiness to use his veto power. The EU parliament declared in 2022 that Hungary was not a full democracy, accusing Orban of creating an "electoral autocracy." Despite announcing his decision early to provide sufficient time for the appointment of a successor, Michel has faced criticism from Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld, who accused him of abandoning ship in the midst of a crisis.