National Council Presidential election tonight

Monaco's parliament meets to choose new leader.

The Conseil National meets for an extraordinary session tonight to vote in a replacement for Stephane Valeri, who officially stepped down at the end of last week to take up his place in the Government. Valeri has been active in the Principality's political scene for over 20 years, having been elected to the National Council in 1988, the youngest member of parliament at just 26 years old. His stint as President began in 2006 and continued with his re-election in February 2008. Prince Albert II has now chosen Valeri to take on the role of Councilor for Social and Health Affairs in the Government, where his most urgent project is to manage the new hospital extension project [1].

The gap left by Valeri is expected to be filled by Jean-Francois Robillon, who has the support of the majority UPM party [2]. Robillon is a cardiologist by profession and has been a member of the National Council since 2003, in charge of the Commission for Education and Youth.