French President Francois Hollande said upon his arrival at the European Council spring summit on Thursday that Donald Tusk should be re-elected in the interest of continuity and stability at a time when the European Union (EU) was under pressure.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also supported Tusk's bid for a second term. She said that the re-election of Tusk was a sign of stability for the entire EU.

At the beginning of the meeting which will start later on Thursday, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, representing the Maltese presidency of the Council of EU, will chair the election process of the President of the European Council for the period from June 1, 2017 to November 30, 2019.

Tusk's home country Poland proposed Polish Member of European Parliament Jacek Saryusz-Wolski for the position.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said on his arrival at the summit that his country strongly opposes the re-election of Tusk.

Source: Xinhua