MEPs narrowly elect von der Leyen to EU top job
German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen was narrowly elected president of the European Commission on Tuesday after winning over sceptical lawmakers. The 60-year-old conservative was nominated to become the first woman to hold Brussels’ top job last month by the leaders of the bloc’s 28 member states, to the annoyance of many MEPs. The Strasbourg parliament would have preferred a candidate chosen by one of its political groups, but in the end a small majority -- 383 members of the 751-member assembly -- voted for her. She will now replace Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the EU executive on November 1, one day after Britain is due to leave the union, and serve a five-year term.
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