EU’s von der Leyen set to win backing for second term from Germany

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to secure the backing of her German centre-right party on Monday for a second term, putting her in a strong position to clinch another five years running the European Union's executive body. At a meeting of the party leadership, Germany's opposition Christian Democrats are set to announce that she will be their candidate for Commission president, confirming a widespread assumption that von der Leyen would seek another term. The first woman to hold the job, von der Leyen steered the EU through the COVID-19 pandemic, the formal exit of Britain from the bloc and the ructions following Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.