With 401 votes in favour, the European Parliament elected Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission in a secret ballot today.
The European Parliament is currently composed of 719 MEPs, so the necessary majority was 360 votes. The vote was held by secret paper ballot. 401 MEPs voted in favour, 284 against, and 22 cast blank or invalid votes.
Ahead of the vote, Ursula von der Leyen presented her political priorities for the next five years during a debate with MEPs.
The Commission President-elect will now send official letters to member state heads of state or government inviting each of them to put forward their candidates for the post of European Commissioner.
Parliament will then organise nominee hearings in the relevant committees after the summer. The full college of Commissioners then needs to be endorsed by Parliament.
The margin was not as high as the European Commission might have hoped.
Not all political groups were in favour of Mme. von der Leyen’s re-appointment.
The European Conservatives & Reformist (ECR) group was particularly scathing of her past performance.
ECR Co-Chairman Joachim Brudziński, in an address to the parliament prior to the vote, stated “Europe is sinking into crisis.
“Trust in EU institutions is decreasing, and citizens’ lives are getting worse. Cost of living is rising and, what’s worse, it will continue to rise, because the left-liberal establishment prefers to remain in the soteriological delusion that it will save the planet with its climate policy, but in reality its effect will be economic suicide.
“Companies are fleeing our continent, desperate farmers are taking to the streets, the EU economy is losing its competitive advantage, and we are no longer considered a world-class player.
“Dear Ms von der Leyen, you were a very poor president; perhaps the worst. As ECR, we unenthusiastically supported your candidacy five years ago.
“We made this decision, choosing the lesser evil because, at that time, the fanatically ideologised Frans Timmermans was competing with you. I remember that meeting with you, during which you tantalised us, just like today, with various promises.”
Image: Photographer: Daina Le LardicCopyright: © European Union 2024 – Source : EP
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