STRASBOURG: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen survived two confidence votes Thursday in the European Parliament.
The motions of censure against the European Commission president were brought by the hard-left and far-right groups.
Neither motion secured the minimum 361 out of 720 votes required to pass.
The challenge brought by the far-right Patriots won support from 179 lawmakers.
The one mounted by The Left got 133 votes.
Von der Leyen held up the results as evidence of continuing faith in her team.
“I deeply appreciate the strong support received today,“ the EU chief wrote on X.
She vowed her commission would keep working closely with the European Parliament to tackle Europe’s challenges.
In the case of the Patriots’ motion, 378 lawmakers voted against and 37 abstained.
An even higher number of 383 voted against the motion by The Left, with 78 abstentions.
Von der Leyen had survived a previous far-right attempt to unseat her in July by a slightly slimmer majority.
Critics from the left and centre accuse von der Leyen of blurring lines with the far-right.
They also accuse her of backtracking on environmental legislation.
During a heated debate Monday the centrist leader Valerie Hayer warned von der Leyen about the pro-European majority.
Iratxe Garcia Perez of the Socialists and Democrats warned that she needed to choose between allies and those who are not friends.
Hard-left France Unbowed lawmaker Manon Aubry and far-right Patriots group chief Jordan Bardella had both called on von der Leyen to stand down.
Neither the socialist nor centrist blocs broke ranks with the commission chief despite the frustrations expressed.
The EPP swung firmly behind her.
Addressing lawmakers on Monday, von der Leyen had offered a more conciliatory tone than in July.
The commission president defended her record and called for unity, stressing the challenges the bloc faces.
She highlighted the war in Ukraine and the broader threat from Russia as chief challenges.
“Our adversaries are not only ready to exploit any divisions, they are actively inciting those divisions in the first place,“ she said.
The European Parliament has never succeeded in toppling a commission team.
The only comparable moment dates from March 1999 when the commission led by Jacques Santer resigned en masse.
They resigned over damning corruption claims and mismanagement rather than face a confidence vote they were set to lose. – AFP