EU Chief Von Der Leyen Survives Confidence Vote By Large Margin

Von der Leyen has dismissed the no-confidence motion as a conspiracy theory-laden attempt to divide Europe (Credit: AFP)

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday comfortably saw off a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament -- but the rare challenge has exposed frictions between her backers and complaints about her leadership style.

Lawmakers in Strasbourg rejected the censure motion -- launched by the far-right over the European Commission president's handling of Covid vaccine contracts -- by 360 to 175 in a widely expected result.