First Woman Nominated to Lead EU Commission

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker came after the main front-runners were rejected.

Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, will be nominated for president of the European Central Bank.

The High Representative for Foreign Policy will go to Socialist MEP Josep Borrell, while Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has been proposed as President of the European Council.

Manfred Weber, the German MEP who was initially voted as the lead candidate, by the centre-right European People's Party, has announced that he is no longer a lead candidate for any top position.

Ms Von der Leyen, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will need to be approved by a simple majority of the European Parliament.