What was claimed
Viktor Orbán has taken control of the European Commission from Ursula von der Leyen.
Our verdict
False. Ms von der Leyen continues to be president of the commission, and is due to continue in the role until the next European elections in 2029.
Former prime minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán has not replaced Ursula von der Leyen as the president of the European Commission, contrary to false claims circulating on social media that he has or is about to do so.
A number of Facebook posts have made similar claims. One post, which has over 3,5000 reactions, says: “THE GAME IS OVER: Viktor Orbán Takes Control of the European Commission — Ursula von der Leyen’s Power Has Collapsed!.”
Ms von der Leyen is still president of the European Commission, the EU’s main executive body, a role which she has held since 2019.
Ms von der Leyen is currently serving her second term in this role. The next election for the presidency will not take place until after the 2029 European elections, and the EU Commission’s website states that she will continue to lead it until this date.
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Her official calendar also includes upcoming engagements in May, and we could find no credible reports anywhere of her leaving or being removed from office to be replaced by Mr Orbán.
Mr Orbán was the leader of Hungary for 16 years, but his party lost power in last month’s elections.
It’s theoretically possible he could be nominated for and become the president of the European Commission in the future.
The European Commission president does not have to be a member of the European Parliament. The European Council nominates a candidate for the role of president, usually based on the political make-up of the European Parliament (typically chosen from the largest political bloc within it). The European Parliament then votes on whether to support the nominee.
But we’ve seen no evidence that supports the claim that Mr Orbán has seized, or is preparing to take control of the commission, or that moves are being made to install him as president.
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This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because Ursula von der Leyen has not been replaced as President of the European Commission by Viktor Orbán.
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