Most Social Democrats to back von der Leyen as commission president - party sources

Two-thirds of the European Parliament's Social Democratic members will vote in favour of Ursula von der Leyen's appointment to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission, party sources said on Tuesday.

Legislators are due to start voting shortly on whether to confirm the conservative, currently German defence minister, after European leaders nominated her this month to head the bloc's executive.

She has the backing of her own centre-right European People's Party and the liberals, but opposition from many Social Democrats means the vote in Strasbourg could be close.

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