Ursula von der Leyen, the current European Commission president, is seeking re-election but faces challenges. She needs 361 votes from the 720 MEPs, relying on center-right, socialist, and liberal groups.
However, some members from these groups have already said they won't support her. Von der Leyen has tried to expand her support, including overtures to hardline right-wing groups like Giorgia Meloni's ECR, Viktor Orbán's Patriots for Europe, and the AfD's Europe of Sovereign Nations.
This has exposed her to criticism and may unite the far-right against her. Her opening to the Greens could secure some votes, but may fail to guarantee their full support while alienating her own EPP party.
Von der Leyen's presidency has been characterized by crisis management, subservience to national leaders, and timid application of EU law. MEPs must decide if she embodies a clear political vision capable of addressing the EU's challenges, including the prospect of Donald Trump's return to the White House, the war in Ukraine, the rise of the far right in Europe, the Greens' demand for a strong commitment on environmental policies, the EPP's demand to revoke the EU's ban on internal combustion engine-powered cars, the liberals' demand to cut red tape, and Meloni's demand for more restrictive migration management.
