The re-election of the Zionist warmonger Ursula von der Leyen as EU Commission President is a bad day for peace, for democracy and for equality, according to Workers’ Party representative Gerry Rooney.

Rooney said: “The EU Commission is a totally undemocratic construct right at the centre of the EU. Whatever the theoretical constraints, the EU Commission, in effect the EU’s civil service, is the nerve centre of all EU actions and policies, and right at the centre of this powerful but unelected bureaucracy is Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission President.”

“However, the reality that must be faced is that Ursula von der Leyen does not see herself as a mere civil servant, constrained either by the Parliament or even the Council of Ministers. Instead, she sees herself as a prototype EU president in the style of the presidents of France or the USA. This self-aggrandisement, or power-grab, was nowhere more clearly demonstrated than in her statement of unconditional support to Israel on October 7th last.”

“Ursula von der Leyen stepped completely beyond her authority in making that statement and making that commitment. However, she has never admitted to making this serious breach of EU rules. Even worse, despite the slaughter of 40,000 Palestinians and the total destruction of the Gaza Strip, von der Leyen has never uttered one word of condemnation of Israel or of its war-criminal prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”

“It is clear that Ursula von der Leyen is not fit to hold any public office, and most especially not fit to be president of the EU Commission. The Workers’ Party congratulates the ten Irish MEPs, coming from different parts of the political spectrum, who voted against von der Leyen’s nomination. It is clear that their actions clearly represented the views of the vast majority of people in this country.”