A second von der Leyen term emerges from voting indications

Brussels – The Populars are convinced, the socialists willing, and the liberals ready. And then there are the Greens, open to cooperation. The Chamber of the European Parliament is speaking out for a second von der Leyen term. The voting indications rendered in the hemicycle offer clear indications: the EPP, S&D, Renew, and Greens converge on the outgoing President of the European Commission, who, in words, is ready to be given a second term.

The Popular Party has no doubts. “von der Leyen’s political program is what we need for the next five years, and von der Leyen is the right choice,” stressed the EPP group leader, Manfred Weber. The Social Democrats and Liberals immediately add: “The housing commissioner is good news,” Iratxe Garcia Perez (S&D) said. “Together, we can shape a European Union for social justice.” Together. These are the Socialists’ openings. As long as they do not open up to the right, Camilla Laureti (Pd/S&D) notes: “We are not open to any kind of agreement with the sovereignists.” Valerie Hayer (Renew) stresses that “von der Leyen’s guidelines aligned with our program,” a statement that the colleague Jan Gerbrandy translates into: “We are ready to give her a second chance.”

The Presidential candidate for a second term is also rewarded by the Greens, less convinced than the other groups, admittedly, but pleased with her commitments towards sustainability and her choice not to engage in dialogue with Euroskeptic and sovereignist forces. “Is von der Leyen a green candidate? No, but let’s work together for a better Europe and to ward off the far right,” chimes Terry Reintke, co-chair of the Greens.

In the configuration emerging from the early speeches, another additional element supporting von der Leyen is the cryptic voting statement of Nicola Procaccini, co-chair of the Conservatives (ECR). “We are sovereignists. Each party of the ECR will vote according to their national interests.” Therefore, there could be some support from the Conservatives, perhaps from the Italian side. Numbers in hand, von der Leyen, judging from the speeches in the House, could come out with a large majority.

There are also critical voices opposing the vote in favor, as to be expected and as, moreover, already widely announced. Such is the case of the Patriots for Europe group. “Without ambiguity, the League says no to an encore of Ursula von der Leyen,” thunders the League’s head of delegation, Paolo Borchia. The group’s vice chair, Hungary’s Kinga Gal (Fidesz), attacks, “Von der Leyen uses the rule of law as a weapon of blackmail, to take money from those entitled. And for peace, she has done nothing; on the contrary, with her, war is coming closer.”

The latter statement prompted the Liberal Sigrief Muresan to clarify with an implicit accusation: “Today, we have to vote against those who take orders from [Russian President] Putin, and from this point of view, von der Leyen is the best possible answer.”

The Patriots’ ‘no’ is also joined by those of Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) and the Left,  groups that register full convergence when both Manon Aubry (Left) and Ewa Zajaczkowska-Hernik (ESN) invite von der Leyen “to appear before the Court of Justice, and not in this Chamber,” referring to the Luxembourg courts’ findings of insufficient transparency in access to documents for anti-COVID vaccines. Dynamics proper to debate and politics, from which a second von der Leyen term emerges.