EU Commission chief survives twin no-confidence votes in European Parliament

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen survived a rare double no-confidence vote in the European Parliament on Thursday, overcoming challenges from far-right and far-left lawmakers that aimed to unseat her.

During the plenary sitting in Strasbourg, neither motion reached the two-thirds majority required to pass, or the minimum 361 votes in favor.

The far-right motion saw 378 MEPs vote against it, 179 in support, and 37 abstaining. The far-left motion recorded 383 votes against, 133 in favor, and 78 abstentions.

The motions, filed last month by the far-right Patriots for Europe group and the left-wing The Left group, marked the first time two no-confidence motions were launched simultaneously in the Parliament.

Patriots's leader Jordan Bardella criticized von der Leyen's US and Mercosur trade deals, while Left's co-chair Manon Aubry accused the commission of inaction over Israel's actions in Gaza.

Centrist and moderate MEPs rallied behind von der Leyen during a plenary debate on Monday, warning that unseating her at this stage could further destabilize the European Union.

This is von der Leyen's second defense against a no-confidence motion this year. In July, a far-right attempt failed with 175 votes in favor, 360 against, and 18 abstentions.