Von der Leyen is the new old president of the European Commission

The European Parliament (EP) supported Ursula von der Leyen's candidacy for a second term at the head of the EC, BGNES reported.
Out of a total of 707 voters, 401 MEPs supported von der Leyen. 284 of the legislators were against and 15 abstained.
The result was announced by EP President Roberta Mezzola.
Ahead of the vote, a wide range of MEPs and officials appeared confident that von der Leyen would get the necessary majority, while stressing that anything could happen in the secret ballot.
"I'm sure it will pass, I'm sure the votes will be there," said MEP Siegfried Muresan, vice-chairman of the EPP's center-right group. He argued that one of the key reasons they voted for her was that "electing a Commission President less than two months after the election is a sign of stability and continuity".
In her first term, Ursula von der Leyen led the bloc through the pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent energy crisis. | BGNES