Von der Leyen's future to be decided in crunch European Parliament vote

The president of the European Commission needs an absolute majority of lawmakers to back her bid for a second term.

Transcript

00:00The future of Ursula von der Leyen will be decided here today in a knife-edge vote.

00:06She wants a second term as European Commission President,

00:09but she needs to secure the support of an absolute majority of MEPs here in the hemicycle in Strasbourg.

00:17Does she have the numbers?

00:19Well, she's counting on the backing of the three pro-European groups at the centre.

00:24Between them they have 401 seats, which should be enough to see von der Leyen sail through.

00:29But we know that there are rebels within those groups likely to vote her down.

00:34It means she's been shopping for votes amongst other groups like the Greens and the European Conservatives and Reformists,

00:41which is the hard-right grouping of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

00:46These two groups are ideologically very far apart,

00:49meaning von der Leyen has been treading an impossible tightrope trying to attract votes from both camps.

00:56But swing MEPs that we've been speaking to here in Strasbourg say they will probably vote for von der Leyen,

01:03even if only to avoid the institutional crisis that would erupt if she fell.

01:09If she doesn't make it, EU leaders would have just one month to propose an alternative candidate,

01:14putting the stability of the European bloc on the line.