Dean Spielmann was chosen chief by a secret ballot cast by all 47 of the court’s judges, the European Court of Human Rights announced on Monday.

The ECHR is not related to the European Court of Justice in Kirchberg nor is it part of the EU. Rather, the ECHR hears human rights cases from all 47 Council of Europe member states that have ratified the European Human Rights Convention. Each of the 47 countries sends a single judge to the court.

Spielmann was born in Luxembourg and studied law at Catholic University of Louvain and Cambridge University. He practiced in the Grand Duchy after becoming a member of the Luxembourg Bar in 1989. Spielmann has also taught at Louvain University and the Universities of Luxembourg and Nancy.

He has been a judge at the ECHR since 2004. He was named president of one of the court’s five sections in 2011 and then elected vice president of the entire court earlier this year.

Spielmann, who takes office as president on November 1, replaces British judge Nicolas Bratza.