Germany’s Von der Leyen has been elected as the European Commission’s first female president.
Her nomination was approved by 383 votes in a secret ballot on Tuesday evening at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
There were 327 votes against her and 22 abstentions. After being elected by a narrow margin of just nine votes over the required 374, von der Leyen called for a united and strong Europe.
The 60-year-old outgoing German defense minister will succeed Jean-Claude Juncker, who has served as president since 2014 and will step down on October 31.
She will be tasked with leading the EU’s executive body and providing political guidance to the Commission, which proposes new laws, manages the EU budget and is responsible for enforcing EU law.
