On Thursday, the European Parliament reelected Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as president of the European Commission, with 401 votes in her favour.

Ms Von der Leyen needed to get a majority of at least 361 votes in the 720-seat chamber to be reelected in the secret ballot.

The first woman to lead the EU’s executive arm, Ms von der Leyen, campaigned on her crisis management record in response to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms Von der Leyen’s successful re-election to lead the powerful commission for another five years signals stability for the European Union during testing times of war and surging far-right movements.

She faced a tight vote in 2019; she only secured the post by nine votes. Her majority this time is much larger at 40.

In total, 284 votes were cast against Ms Von der Leyen, with 15 abstentions and seven votes declared invalid. In her speech to the European Parliament before the vote, Ms Von der Leyen pledged action on the EU’s economy and defence industry while promising to defend democracy.

Ms Von der Leyen told EU lawmakers she was “ready to lead the fight” against extremist political forces.

The EU legislature, which now features two new far-right groups, is gathered in Strasbourg, France, for the first time since the European elections that were characterised by a shift in support to the right.

(dpa/NAN)