PARIS, January 22. /TASS/. A no-confidence resolution against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen failed to get the required number of votes during a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week.
The vote was streamed on the parliament's website.
A total of 165 members from the European Parliament (MEPs) backed the motion, while 390 voted against and 10 abstained. The resolution's sponsors charged the commission president with neglecting European farmers' issues and exceeding her powers.
Von der Leyen herself did not attend the parliamentary session where the vote took place. This was the third no-confidence motion brought against her. The latest motion was initiated by the Patriots for Europe parliamentary group. They objected to the European Commission's decision to sign a free trade agreement between the European Union and the countries of the South American Common Market (Mercosur). The EU's farming lobby and several right-wing parties believe this deal will undermine European agricultural production by flooding the market with cheaper South American goods.
The previous two no-confidence motions against the president of the European Commission were put forward last year. Both failed, receiving less than a quarter of the votes from MEPs. The three main political groups in the parliament generally support von der Leyen.