Ursula von der Leyen has secured a second term as European Commission President, following a vote in the European Parliament. 

After MEPs voted to support her candidacy, Dr von der Leyen said she could not “begin to express how grateful I am”. 

Although she had the backing of the Irish Government, Dr von der Leyen’s bid for a second term was opposed by many Irish MEPs. 

5 more years.

I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for the trust of all MEPs that voted for me. pic.twitter.com/d9n3yfIVtS

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 18, 2024

Ahead of the vote, Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan urged her colleagues to vote against Dr von der Leyen in order to, “Say no to genocide and say no to Von der Leyen.”

Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews told Newstalk Breakfast that Dr von der Leyen had to be held accountable for the “the damage that she’s done to our reputation” due to her support for Israel. 

After the result, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan tweeted that he was “disgusted” by his colleagues’ decision. 

Dr von der Leyen began her first term as European Commission President in 2019 as the candidate of the centre-right European People's Party - which Fine Gael is a member of.

Beforehand, she entered European politics, Dr von der Leyen served as Defence Minister in the Government of Angela Merkel.

More follows….

Main image: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Image: Thierry Monasse/dpa