EU official Ursula von der Leyen comfortably survives confidence vote

Brussels | European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen comfortably survived a vote of no confidence on Thursday, as an overwhelming number of European Union lawmakers rejected a censure motion against her.

The motion contained a mix of allegations against von der Leyen, including text messaging privately with the chief executive of vaccine maker Pfizer during the COVID-19 pandemic, misuse of EU funds and interference in elections in Germany and Romania.

But 360 lawmakers voted against it during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, with 175 in favour, and 18 chose to abstain. Von der Leyen wasn't present for the vote.

The vote has been a lightning rod for criticism of Von der Leyen — who led the EU drive to find vaccines for around 450 million citizens during the pandemic — and her European People's Party, which is the largest political family in the assembly.

They're accused of cozying up to the hard right to push through their agenda.