European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday won a second five-year term that she promised would see the EU bolstering its defense capability, improving its industry and tackling a housing crisis.
Von der Leyen received votes from 401 members of the European Parliament in the 720-seat chamber backing her — topping the 361-vote majority she needed to remain head of the EU’s executive body. There were 284 lawmakers who voted against her in the secret ballot, held during the first parliamentary session since EU-wide elections last month.
The former German defense minister, who became the first female leader of the European Commission in 2019, had presented herself as the best and most experienced person to steer the commission.
Photo: AFP
However, it has been a rocky path to reach this point. The EU’s 27 leaders debated her candidacy last month before advancing her name.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz offered his congratulations on social media, calling her reappointment “a clear sign of our ability to act in the European Union, especially in difficult times.”
Von der Leyen belongs to the biggest political group in the parliament, the European People’s Party, which is in a coalition with the Socialists and Democrats and the Renew Europe groups.
However, the Socialists and Democrats group said that its support for Von der Leyen did not mean a “blank check.”
“Our job begins now. We will continue working to put our social imprint in all EU policies for the next five years,” said Iratxe Garcia Perez, the group’s leader.
Greens coleader Terry Reintke also congratulated Von der Leyen.
“As part of a four-group pro-European majority, we have secured commitments to continue the Green Deal, make the EU more socially fair and protect democracy. We keep the far-right out of power,” Reinke wrote on X.
Before her re-election, Von de Leyen vowed to boost Europe’s competitiveness and ensure significant investment in key industries including defense.
She also insisted that the EU would not deviate from climate goals that include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040.
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
Kehinde Sanni spends his days smoothing out dents and repainting scratched bumpers in a modest autobody shop in Lagos. He has never left Nigeria, yet he speaks glowingly of Burkina Faso military leader Ibrahim Traore. “Nigeria needs someone like Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso. He is doing well for his country,” Sanni said. His admiration is shaped by a steady stream of viral videos, memes and social media posts — many misleading or outright false — portraying Traore as a fearless reformer who defied Western powers and reclaimed his country’s dignity. The Burkinabe strongman swept into power following a coup in September 2022
‘BODIES EVERYWHERE’: The incident occurred at a Filipino festival celebrating an anti-colonial leader, with the driver described as a ‘lone suspect’ known to police Canadian police arrested a man on Saturday after a car plowed into a street party in the western Canadian city of Vancouver, killing a number of people. Authorities said the incident happened shortly after 8pm in Vancouver’s Sunset on Fraser neighborhood as members of the Filipino community gathered to celebrate Lapu Lapu Day. The festival, which commemorates a Filipino anti-colonial leader from the 16th century, falls this year on the weekend before Canada’s election. A 30-year-old local man was arrested at the scene, Vancouver police wrote on X. The driver was a “lone suspect” known to police, a police spokesperson told journalists at the
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has unveiled a new naval destroyer, claiming it as a significant advancement toward his goal of expanding the operational range and preemptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military, state media said yesterday. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim attended the launching ceremony for the 5,000-tonne warship on Friday at the western port of Nampo. Kim framed the arms buildup as a response to perceived threats from the US and its allies in Asia, who have been expanding joint military exercises amid rising tensions over the North’s nuclear program. He added that the acquisition
RSS