Live: European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen faces 'tight' vote on second term | DW News

Ursula von der Leyen won only half the battle when EU leaders endorsed her for a second term as president of the European Commission in June. Now, she still needs to win over a majority of the European Parliament's 720 lawmakers on Thursday. She is pitching herself as an experienced leader and could benefit from a desire in the European Union for a steady hand at a time when war rages in Ukraine and Donald Trump's possible return to the White House in November elections could shake up global relations. Von der Leyen's conservative political grouping, the European People's Party (EPP), has 188 seats, the Socialists have 136, and the liberal Renew group has 77. From the outset, it would seem that she could gather the required votes from within the coalition. "I am not a mathematician, but I think, with the three center forces that are supporting Ursula von der Leyen and that form part of a package deal, we have the numbers," EPP spokesperson Pedro Lopez said last week. Neither the politicians nor the experts DW spoke with believe that it will be as easy as Lopez implied. There's no guarantee everyone in the coalition will vote for von der Leyen. "It's going to be tight," said Julien Hoez, a Brussels-based EU expert.

Since the vote is secret, it is important for von der Leyen to talk personally with parliamentarians, who can vote based on their constituents' interests without fear of repercussions if they stray from the party line. While members of the European Parliament (MEPs) cannot be forced to vote for a candidate through a party whip, governments and leaders still try to influence the outcome. Should von der Leyen fail to secure 361 votes, the EU could plunge into a crisis at a time when anxieties are high and alternative candidates with sufficient bloc-wide backing seem nonexistent.

#europeanparliament #ursulavonderleyen

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[Spiezid]

Just another example of how far away these politics are from the actual opinion of the voters.

[lorolenguas]

Ein schwarzer Tag für Europa, ein schwarzer Tag für die Demokratie. R.I.P. Europa.

[martintkac]

Ich habe Magenschmerzen, wenn ich das sehe !

[pavelm]

die Frau hat gar kein Gewissen, statt selbst zurückzutreten, wird es weiter so gemacht.

[Mariiiaaaas]

This woman is an awful politician. Without conscience

[siggymusch]

Ich habe mein Vertrauen schon lange in diese Menschen verloren, dieses ist nur ein weiterer Beweis, das Menschenleben nicht mehr zählt und Menschenrecht zerfällt

[annan]

Europe needs to be independent or becomes south American.

[josipapetronic]

This"woman"would earth spat out when she feel into it.😢

[mihaimarin]

Where are the jobs for young people?is your husband rich?

[BruniOn-kelb]

Nun wissen wir: Die EU ist von der Leyen, von der Leyen ist die EU, um jeden Preis!

[inigoacha]

The protestant logia won.
She is not even blonde.

[myka.]

inmensa mayoría con 284 votos en contra de 600😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮

[VladislavSurkov-vh]

Mafia 😂🎉ist und mafia bleibt. Europa Europa quo vadis...😅

[c.l.]

Ceux qui détestent l'Europe et l'instrumentalisent la soutiennent. Pas moyen d'avoir des référents démocrates non néolibéraux au gouvernail, or, ce sont les valeurs européennes ! Shame on you !! Ne dites plus UE à la place de UE Néolibérale !! Ursula est néolibérale... elle n'est ni libérale, ni de gauche, ni du centre... et visiblement, l'UEN n'est ni de gauche, ni du centre, ni de droite, mais tiraillée par toutes les extrêmes (que le pire parti de Belgique, raciste envers les Belges, régressif et séparatiste, y soit accueilli est logique, vu leur dérive. Or, il n'a rien de démocratique ni d'européen)...

[egLO]

Keine Angst, das ist nur der🎈📍💥
(H²S)

[alexbakker]

I suspect Putin isnt going to like this result :)

[gabrielcouto]

45:50 why is this crucial time covered up?? may be to changue the boxes? ok...

[towbar]

It is comforting to see that some old methods are most secure.

[johnabela]

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH, VON DER LEYEN AND METSOLA 👏👏
👍🇲🇹❤️🇪🇺

[luislopes]

Respectful Greetings!
To: The European Parliament.
It is a privilege to congratulate the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on her re-election today. The European Parliament elected Ursula von der Leyen for another five years as European Commission President, choosing stability and continuity for the EU's most powerful institution and the Bloc.

Following a grilling in the European Parliament, the incumbent received 401 votes in favor and 284 against, a large majority to support 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.

Now that Ursula von der Leyen has the support of both the European Council and the European Parliament, she will begin to assemble her new European Commission.

Cordially!
Luís Lopes