Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected as president of the European Commission in a make-or-break vote on Thursday that represented the single greatest test of her political legacy, forged across a succession of crises that have rattled the bloc’s foundations.
Following a grilling in the European Parliament, the incumbent received 401 votes in favour 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.
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.
Her overture to the hard-right ECR, led by Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS), proved controversial for progressive forces, who saw it as a threat to the centrist coalition. Von der Leyen sought to assuage these fears by promising “no structured cooperation” with Meloni’s group and re-affirming the targets and policies of the Green Deal, which her centre-right family has increasingly challenged.
The secret nature of the vote makes it impossible to ascertain who voted for and against her candidacy. But the speech delivered on Thursday morning, with several pointed references to climate action, suggests it was the Greens who acted as king-maker.
“We have secured commitments on the Green Deal, making the EU more socially fair and protecting democracy,” the Greens said, confirming their support.
By contrast, the ECR group said a “large majority of national delegations” had moved against the candidate. A representative from Meloni’s Brother of Italy confirmed the premier’s group had voted against the aspirant.