Von der Leyen faces crunch vote in European Parliament that could see her returned to Commission presidency

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen faces crunch vote in European Parliament that could see her returned to Commission presidency. Picture: Virginia Mayo/AP

Ursula von der Leyen was a mostly unknown figure across the EU when she was picked out to be the next European Commission president five years ago.

She was not the first pick of the European People’s Party in 2019 when she first came into the position, with the grouping initially seeking to nominate EPP leader Manfred Weber.