"The toxic Ursula" narrative originates directly from the Kremlin: this is how far-right propaganda spread on the wings of the motion of no confidence against von der Leyen

Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

Ursula von der Leyen’s no-confidence motion failed, despite Russian disinformation campaigns and varied political reactions across Europe.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

The European Parliament’s vote on a motion of no confidence against Ursula von der Leyen failed to reach the required 360 votes, receiving only 175. The majority supporting the motion came from groups like the ECR and the Left, while most other groups supported Von der Leyen. The European Court had previously criticized the Commission’s handling of a coronavirus-related SMS change but found no evidence of corruption or protectionism. Despite the initial failure, some MEP representatives from Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, and France voted to remove her. A report indicated that Russian propaganda networks intensified efforts to undermine Von der Leyen’s credibility by distorting events and amplifying narratives like “toxic Ursula.” The motion was introduced by Gheorghe Piperea of Romania, who framed it as a democratic tool against power concentration. Reactions varied across member states; in Italy, while one party supported the motion, another abstained, leading to domestic political friction. In Austria, politicians dismissed the motion as irresponsible partisan maneuvering. Overall, the text details how external propaganda campaigns targeted Von der Leyen and analyzes the varying political responses to the no-confidence vote across different European countries.


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