STRASBOURG: The European Parliament on Thursday re-elected Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission with 401 votes, reported German news agency dpa.

Von der Leyen secured the necessary majority of at least 361 votes in the 720-seat chamber during the secret ballot.

The first woman to lead the EU’s executive arm, von der Leyen campaigned on her crisis management record in response to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Von der Leyen’s successful re-election to lead the powerful commission is a strong signal of stability for the European Union during testing times of war and political instability from the far right. - Bernama, dpa