European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes final bid for second term before vote

• Ursula von der Leyen is running for a second five-year term as president of the European Union’s executive commission.
• The 720-seat parliament will vote today. Von der Leyen needs a straight majority of 361 votes to secure a second term. She is popular, but some lawmakers within her own center-right European People’s Party could still vote against her.
• Von der Leyen has been praised for her leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, but the EU general court ruled Wednesday that information about the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements with pharmaceutical companies was not sufficiently transparent.

Ursula von der Leyen pledged to be a strong leader for Europe in a time of crisis and polarization as she made her final leadership pitch in a speech to lawmakers at the European Parliament ahead of a vote Thursday afternoon on whether to grant her a second five-year term as president of the European Union’s executive commission.

The secret ballot at the 720-seat parliament comes hot on the heels of strong gains by the far right in last month’s election for the European Parliament. Voting gets underway at 1 p.m. and results are expected by 3 p.m.

“I will never let the extreme polarization of our societies become accepted. I will never accept that demagogues and extremists destroy our European way of life. And I stand here today ready to lead the fight with all the Democratic forces in this house,” von der Leyen said.

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If a majority of the lawmakers reject her candidacy, it would leave leaders of the 27-nation bloc scrambling to find a replacement as Europe grapples with crises ranging from the war in Ukraine to climate change.

In a speech that sought to shore up support from across the political spectrum, von der Leyen pledged to strengthen the EU economy, its police and border agencies, tackle migration and pursue policies tackling climate change while also helping farmers who have staged protests against what they call stifling EU bureaucracy and environmental rules.

She also took a swipe at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his recent visit to Russia shortly after his country took over the rotating six-month EU presidency.

“This so-called peace mission was nothing but an…