In a complete farce, political groups in Parliament have endorsed the most far-right, corporate-driven, and ethically compromised Commission in EU history. The Left remains the only democratic opposition. A total of 688 MEPs participated in the vote. 370 voted in favor, 282 voted against, and 36 abstained.

This is the first EU administration in history that relies on anti-democratic political forces. It’s no accident, but a well-calculated political choice from Socialists, Liberals, and Conservatives to back a Commission that erodes democratic values.

What is being spun as a “democratic majority” is, in reality, an EPP wishlist enforced through a “Cordon Flexitaire,” where conservatives strike deals with the far right when liberals and socialists hesitate. This vote signals complicity with an agenda that undermines social policies like affordable housing, energy security, and fair food prices, while abandoning workers to a growing cost-of-living crisis.

EPP’s and Manfred Weber’s power play has resulted in rubber-stamping an Executive Vice President and Cohesion Commissioner from Giorgia Meloni’s Italian far-right party, Fratelli d’Italia. The very idea that a representative of a fascist lineage has been entrusted with “cohesion” is an insult to the values this Union claims to uphold. Adding to this moral absurdity, S&D and the Greens have aligned themselves with Meloni’s ECR in supporting von der Leyen’s Commission. For a group that claims to champion progressivism, this cognitive dissonance is staggering, especially given the polar opposite priorities of their respective electorates.

The Parliament has abdicated its responsibility to hold the executive accountable, and the “democratic majority” is now little more than a facade.

These scandalous deals ensured key posts went to candidates whose records reek of ineptitude and corruption: a Climate Commissioner with offshore dealings and ties to fossil fuels, a Cohesion Commissioner formerly banned from office for bribery, and an Innovation Commissioner accused of selling EU passports to the highest bidder. These appointments were rubber-stamped with barely a pretense of scrutiny. Accountability has been sacrificed on the altar of power-sharing.

Meanwhile, policies that should prioritize good jobs in sustainable industries and social justice are nowhere to be found. Instead, Europe’s Green Deal is being gutted, and industrial competitiveness has taken precedence over bold climate action, cemented by the appointment of Stéphane Séjourné to oversee industrial strategy. This isn’t a green transition—it’s a handout to polluters wrapped in eco-friendly branding.

The Socialists abandoned their “red lines,” and the Greens reversed their principles to back von der Leyen 2.0. Their votes expose the truth: this Parliament no longer has a democratic majority, only complicity in maintaining a system that prioritizes corporations over people.

This farce will have high costs for both the people and the planet. The Left stands as the only opposition—not just to this Commission but to the forces hollowing out European democracy. While others capitulate, we will fight, in Parliament and in the streets, for affordable housing, fair energy and food prices, good jobs, and climate justice. Europeans deserve better than this.