Ursula von der Leyen secures five more years in top EU job

Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected as the President of the European Commission following a secret ballot among MEPs.

She secured the backing of 401 Members of the European Parliament at a vote in Strasbourg on Thursday - 40 more than she needed.

Ms von der Leyen, of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), was first elected in 2019.

She will now serve another five years at the helm of the EU.

In a speech to MEPs ahead of the vote, Ms von der Leyen said she would champion European defence with increased military spending, and committed to sticking to climate targets.

She also spoke out against what she called the "demagogues and extremists" that "destroy our European way of life" and promised to collaborate with "all the democratic forces" in the Parliament.

"The last five years have shown what we can do together. Let us do it again. Let us make the choice of strength," she said.

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