The first woman ever chosen to be European Union top executive has clinched the post-confirmation despite an acrimonious nomination process.
Ursula von Der Leyen, a 60-year-old from Germany won the seat narrowly on Tuesday after winning the approval of the European Parliament.
"The trust you place in me is the confidence you place in Europe. Confidence in a united and strong Europe. From East to west, from south to north," reports the Newyork Times
Usurla was selected to lead the European Commission and the 32,000 members at the heart of Europe project despite an agreement by European Union heads to select a president from among the candidates proposed by the political bloc in the European Parliament.
The heads scrapped the deal when the two top contenders faced implacable opposition.
She will now take the role when the bloc is characterized by major divisions fueled by nationalism and intensive power struggles between Russia, Iran, China, United States among others.
Reports indicate that the new executive(Ursula) was voted in by a thin majority of 383 out of 733 casts and will now be representing the European Union which has 28 countries and more than half billion people that together form the richest collective in the world in major occasions like the Group of 20 summits.
She will also be involved in trade talks with among other leaders president Donald Trump and oversee Brexit and its aftermath during her five-year-term.
In her acceptance speech made with a triumphant and conciliatory tone, she said that building coalitions would be a key of what she does as a commission president but ultimately sad that in a Democracy a majority is a majority.
Her approval now opens a way for other picks for the top jobs in the European Union most notably that of a woman chosen to lead the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde of France.
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