The far-right motion was led by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea, who criticized von der Leyen's transparency regarding her text communications with Pfizer during the Covid-19 vaccine negotiations. The motion required two-thirds approval, but received only 175 votes in favor, with 360 against it and 18 abstentions. The last confidence vote in the European Parliament occurred over a decade ago.
During a heated session, von der Leyen labeled her accusers as "conspiracy theorists," including Piperea, whom she accused of spreading false claims about the vaccine negotiations. The support for the motion came mainly from far-right groups, while von der Leyen garnered backing from her own European People's Party (EPP), the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), and other liberal groups.
Support for von der Leyen's leadership is wavering, with leaders from the S&D cautioning that their backing of her is not assured moving forward. As the vote unfolded, von der Leyen was at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, but she quickly expressed her gratitude on social media once the motion was rejected, reaffirming her commitment to European unity against external threats.
During a heated session, von der Leyen labeled her accusers as "conspiracy theorists," including Piperea, whom she accused of spreading false claims about the vaccine negotiations. The support for the motion came mainly from far-right groups, while von der Leyen garnered backing from her own European People's Party (EPP), the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), and other liberal groups.
Support for von der Leyen's leadership is wavering, with leaders from the S&D cautioning that their backing of her is not assured moving forward. As the vote unfolded, von der Leyen was at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, but she quickly expressed her gratitude on social media once the motion was rejected, reaffirming her commitment to European unity against external threats.
