Swedish politician Adnan Dibrani, originally from Kosovo, has been elected as a Member of the European Parliament as a candidate for the Social Democrats. Dibrani has already served three terms in the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, where he is a member of the Finance Committee. He has also been a representative in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
In a statement made when the Social Democrats announced his candidacy, Dibrani expressed hope that his background would be an added value in his upcoming work.
“I didn’t apply for this. But I think it will be fun. I come from the Balkans, and maybe in these times, it is an advantage to have someone who understands both the East and the West,” Dibrani said at the time.
Dibrani became known to the Montenegrin and regional public in March last year when he, along with others, heroically rescued a baby from the icy Morača River. He was part of a Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly observer mission monitoring the election day in Montenegro. He explained to Pobjeda what happened that day in Podgorica.
“I was crossing the bridge and looked at the water when I saw a woman and a child floating in the river. Some other guys came, went down to the river, and pulled the baby out of the water, while others called the ambulance. I ran towards them and saw they were holding the baby, who showed no signs of life. Since I have a small child at home, I knew what to do in such situations,” Dibrani recounted.
Four months later, Adnan returned to Podgorica and met the boy’s family whose life he had saved.
“What made me happiest is that the boy is perfectly healthy, has recovered successfully, and just keeps smiling,” Dibrani said to the media upon his return to Montenegro.
Adnan Dibrani was born in 1985. He was seven years old when his family moved from Kosovska Mitrovica to Sweden. He studied economics and worked as a bank clerk before entering politics. He is the first Albanian from Kosovo to sit as a Member of the European Parliament.
Results of the European Elections
In the European Parliament elections, the European People’s Party achieved the best result with 184 seats. The Socialist-Democratic coalition won 139 seats, while the Renew Europe group secured 80 mandates, and the Greens 52. The right-wing Identity and Democracy group has 58 seats, and the European Conservatives and Reformists have 73 mandates. Liberals lost 20 seats compared to the previous term, while the left secured 36 mandates.
The first task for the new MEPs will be to elect the head of the European Commission. No single group has a majority in the European Parliament, which means that important decisions will once again require a coalition.
Approximately 360 million people in 27 EU member states had the right to vote in the European Parliament elections, which lasted from Thursday to Sunday. The new assembly will have 720 MEPs, 15 more than the previous one.