Von der Leyen emerges European conservative bloc’s only candidate for commission presidency

By Selen Valente

BRUSSELS (AA) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emerged as the European People’s Party’s (EPP) only candidate for the presidency of the commission, said the head of the umbrella group of European conservative parties.

Speaking at a news conference, Manfred Weber said that the deadline for submission of candidacies for the EPP’s lead candidate for the presidency of the European Commission has expired and von der Leyen emerged as the only candidate.

He noted that apart from the German Christian Democratic Party (CDU), Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Platform (PO) party, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' New Democracy (ND) party also endorsed von der Leyen as the top candidate.

"Von der Leyen did her job well in the past years. Europe was in safe hands," Weber said.

On Monday, von der Leyen announced her candidacy for a second term, after receiving the backing of her party.

The EPP will vote next month in Bucharest, Romania, on whether von der Leyen will run as their lead candidate for the European elections.

The new European Commission president will be elected after the European elections in June. As a rule, the lead candidate of a European party family, that performed best in the European elections, is nominated. Recent surveys show that EPP is clearly ahead of its rival, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D).

Following European elections, the nominated European Commission president has to win an absolute majority at the European Parliament to officially assume the office.