Von der Leyen Reelected European Commission President

Ursula von der Leyen has been reelected as president of the European Commission (EC) in a make-or-break vote, representing the single greatest test of her political legacy, forged across a succession of crises that have rattled the bloc's foundations, Jorge Liboreiro reported for Euronews.

The comfortable result is a decisive backing of Von der Leyen's stewardship and marks a significant turnaround from the last time she faced the hemicycle. I Photo: European Parliament Facebook

Following a grilling in the European Parliament, the incumbent received 401 votes in favor and 284 against, a large majority supporting her second five-year term.

The comfortable result is a decisive backing of her stewardship and marks a significant turnaround from the last time she faced the hemicycle: back in 2019, she made it through with a record-breaking, razor-thin margin of just nine votes.

"The last five years have shown what we can do together," she said. "Let us do it again. Let us make the choice of strength. Let us make the choice of leadership."

The resolution caps intense days of closed-door negotiations that saw the 65-year-old German politician frantically meet with the Parliament's main groups – in some cases, several times – to secure as many endorsements as possible.

Although the three centrist groups – the European People's Party (EPP), the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), and the liberals of Renew Europe – had enough seats to re-appoint her, internal disagreements hinted at shaky arithmetic, forcing von der Leyen to reach out to the Greens and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) for additional support.