The European Parliament elected Ursula von der Leyen for another five years as European Commission president, thus choosing stability and continuity for the EU's most powerful institution.
Von der Leyen, who hails from the centre-right European People's Party, received 401 votes in a secret ballot, far more than the 361 votes she needed to be elected. There were 284 votes, 15 abstentions and 7 votes declared invalid.
Von der Leyen had the backing of three main pro-EU groups, the centre-right European People's Party, the Socialists and Renew liberals. In the weeks and months leading up to the vote, several lawmakers within those centrist groups said they would not vote for her, forcing her to seek support from outside her current coalition, including the left-leaning Greens.
Now that von der Leyen has the backing of the European Council and the European Parliament, she will start convening the new European Commission.