Von der Leyen in anti-extremist pitch for second term as MEPs prepare to vote

In her speech von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU’s support for Ukraine. Photograph: Johanna Geron/Reuters

Ursula von der Leyen has spoken out against “the extreme polarisation of our societies” as she appealed to the European parliament to give her a second term as European Commission president.

MEPs will hold a knife-edge vote later on Thursday that will either result in another five-year mandate for the EU executive’s first female leader or tip the bloc into a summer crisis.