Ursula Von der Leyen, “convinced” that she will return to preside over the European Commission

The candidate of the European People’s Party for the presidency of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, It was shown this Friday “convinced” that he has the support of “many” heads of State and Government to repeat in office after the European elections, when the senior positions of the community institutions will be renewed.

“I am convinced that I have the support of many leaders. They know me and they know my experience,” Von der Leyen told a group of journalists who traveled with her to one of the last stops of her electoral campaign in Porto (Portugal), including Efe.

The candidate and current president of the community Executive pointed out that “the first brick to build a broad coalition for a strong Europe” is the unity of her own party, the European People’s Party.

In that sense, he assured that the members of his political family are on the same line in the European Council, where there are a dozen popular heads of State and Government, and in the European Parliament, where predictably They will remain the first force after the European elections that are being held from this Thursday to Sunday throughout the EU.

If Von der Leyen is nominated by the European Council to remain president of the European Commission, she will also have to certify the support of at least 361 of the 720 members of the European Parliamenta complex task given that the parties that support him apart from the EPP – social democrats and liberals – will have fewer seats and the ultra-conservatives and extreme right will win more, according to the polls.

The European People’s Party wants its traditional partners to be the starting point of the negotiations, since the sum of popular, social democrats and liberals It would still be above 50% of the chamber. The vote, however, is secret, a perfect breeding ground for rebellious deputies and delegations openly dissatisfied with it, such as the French popular ones.

The Greens or Meloni

To try to establish a more comfortable majority, Von der Leyen has two options: reach out to the Greens/European Free Alliance, that they will lose many seats but would still have enough to sway the vote, or to some delegations that she considers “acceptable” within the ultra-conservatives, such as the Italian Prime Minister’s Brothers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni.

With this latest movement he risks, however, losing the support of social democrats and liberals, who call approaches to the extreme right unacceptable.

Asked if she would be willing to talk to the Greens to establish that majority that supports her, Von der Leyen insisted that will work “from the center” and that she is open to sitting down to work with all MEPs who are pro-European, are in favor of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and defend the rule of law.

“Extremists on the far left and far right are trying to divide us and we will not let that happen. The center must prevail”said the German, who during the campaign has considered that Meloni meets the three conditions mentioned.