The system was introduced in 2014 when the bloc held the first poll after the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force. The exhaustive revision of the foundational text clarified how the president of the European Commission, the most powerful and influential institution, was to be appointed. The new treaty said that “taking into account the elections to the European Parliament and after having held the appropriate consultations,” EU leaders should select one presidential hopeful, who then has to be endorsed by MEPs in an absolute majority vote. This means the prospective Commission chief undergoes …