Following intense questioning by the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen was successfully re-elected as president of the European Commission in a decisive vote on Thursday.The European Parliament reelected Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday for another five-year term as president of the European Commission, 401 to 284, exceeding the required threshold of 360 votes.
The European Parliament elected Ms. van der Leyen with a strong majority of 401 votes, ensuring stability and continuity for the 27-member bloc. There were 284 votes opposing, 15 abstentions, and seven votes that were invalid.This comfortable result comes as she held several closed-door meetings over the past days with groups such as the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the Greens.
Following the far right's significant gains in the European Parliament election in June, her reelection was far from guaranteed. Analysts viewed the secret ballot as a significant threat. However, she passed with a larger margin this time than she did in 2019. Von der Leyen, whose Christian Democratic Union belongs to the center-right European People's Party (EPP), called her reelection a victory for the pro-EU, pro-Ukraine and pro-rule of law camp in the European Parliament.