Summary of the day
Ursula von der Leyen won a European parliament vote to stay on as president of the European Commission for a second five-year term.
401 MEPs voted in favour, 284 against and 15 abstained, giving von der Leyen a bigger winning margin than during her last confirmation in 2019.
Von der Leyen formally got the support of her centre-right European People’s party, as well as the centre-left Socialists and Democrats, the liberal Renew Europe and the Greens.
The European Conservatives and Reformists had a free vote, though it appears most of the group’s delegations voted against von der Leyen.
A host of European leaders congratulated von der Leyen, whose reappointment comes as a relief for many capitals.
Von der Leyen’s confirmation garnered criticism from the Left group, as well as from far right figures such as the French National Rally’s Jordan Bardella and parties such as Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz.
In a press conference, von der Leyen said she will now ask leaders to put forward candidates for the commission – a man and a woman from each member state, with an exception granted for countries who are putting forward incumbent commissioners.
Updated
Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, congratulated von der Leyen.
“I look forward to working closely with you to reset the relationship between the UK and the European Union,” he said.
Congratulations @vonderleyen on your re-election as President of the @EU_Commission.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 18, 2024
I look forward to working closely with you to reset the relationship between the UK and the European Union.
