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AfD leader takes aim at EU’s von der Leyen after Orban election defeat

RT News · · 477 words · By Russia Today
EU Political Stability and Accountability German Far-Right Political Discourse (AfD) Critique of EU Leadership (Von der Leyen)
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.rt.com/news/638540-von-der-leyen-immune-democracy-orban/

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 60% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
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Cherry Picking 70% confidence
Selectively presenting evidence that supports one side while ignoring contrary evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 8
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 2
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“The AfD is the most popular party in Germany, with a recent YouGov poll suggesting that it would get 27% of the vote if elections were held now.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results from different sources (Yahoo, and two others) report that the AfD topped a YouGov poll with 27% support. This constitutes multiple independent reports confirming the core claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 European Parliament election in Germany was held on 9 June 2024. It was the tenth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first European Parliament election a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_European_Parliament_elect…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the run-up to the 2025 German federal election, which took place as a snap election on 23 February 2025, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions in Germany. Res…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2025_G…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the run-up to the next German federal election following the 23 February 2025 election, which needs to take place on or before 25 March 2029, various organisations have carried out opinion polling …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_G…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The CDU/CSU and SPD trail behind with 23% and 13%, respectively, according to the survey.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results cite specific percentages for CDU/CSU (23%) and SPD (14% or 13%) from YouGov polls, corroborating the figures provided in the claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A federal election was held on 22 September to elect the members of the 18th Bundestag of Germany. At stake were all 598 seats to the Bundestag, plus 33 overhang seats determined thereafter. The Chris…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_German_federal_election
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Angela Dorothea Merkel (née Kasner; born 17 July 1954) is a German stateswoman and retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the offi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (German: Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht – Vernunft und Gerechtigkeit; BSW) is a political party in Germany founded on 8 January 2024. It has been describ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahra_Wagenknecht_Alliance
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Magyar’s conservative and pro-EU Tisza party secured 53.6% of the vote and 138 of 199 parliamentary seats in the Hungarian election on Sunday, while Orban’s right-wing and EU-skeptic Fidesz collapsed to just 55.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results provide specific figures matching the claim: Magyar's party securing 138 seats on 53.6% of the vote, and Fidesz securing 55 seats (or 37.8% of the vote).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire and officially as the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional dual empire in Central Europe between 1867 and 191…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungary
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Grand Principality of Hungary or Duchy of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Nagyfejedelemség: "Hungarian Grand Principality", Byzantine Greek: Τουρκία (Tourkia)) was the earliest documented Hungarian sta…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Hungary
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“During his tenure, Orban clashed with Brussels over immigration and sanctions on Russia, and opposed EU support for Ukraine.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Viktor Orbán clashed with Brussels over issues including aid to Ukraine and blocking funds, and that he has been accused of blocking aid to Ukraine.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In July 2024, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán announced that he would undergo several uncoordinated meetings that he referred to as "peace missions", visiting President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_visits_by_Viktor_Orbán_to…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Orbán era (Hungarian: Orbán-kor) or Orbán system (Hungarian: Orbán-rendszer) was the second period during the history of Hungary's modern Third Republic during which Viktor Orbán served as Prime M…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary_under_Viktor_Orbán
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Viktor Mihály Orbán (born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has served as the prime minister of Hungary since 2010, having previously held the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Orbán
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“It took von der Leyen only 17 minutes to issue a statement celebrating Magyar’s victory after Orban conceded defeat.”
CORROBORATED
Three distinct web search results report that Ursula von der Leyen celebrated shortly after Orbán's defeat, with two specifically mentioning a timeframe around 17 minutes.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 12 April 2026 to elect all 199 members of the National Assembly. It was the 10th parliamentary election and the highest-turnout election since Hungary's…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Hungarian_parliamentary_e…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Respect and Freedom Party, commonly known by its Hungarian abbreviations Tisza Party and TISZA, is a centre to centre-right, pro-European, and populist political party in Hungary. The party was fo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tisza_Party
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Viktor Mihály Orbán (born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has served as the prime minister of Hungary since 2010, having previously held the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Orbán
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Von der Leyen has faced criticism over numerous controversies since becoming EC president in 2019.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results detail specific instances where von der Leyen faced motions of censure or no-confidence votes, confirming she has faced criticism regarding her leadership since becoming EC president.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 26, 2025 · European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is facing a no-confidence vote over a Covid-19 pandemic scandal that threatens to scupper her second-term policy agenda.
https://www.ft.com/content/81621777-29c6-4fb5-9d33-8de658394…
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web search NEUTRAL — Three months after surviving her first-ever motion of censure, Ursula von der Leyen faces not one but two simultaneous attempts to topple her European Commission.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/von-der-leyen-faces-two…
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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 6, 2025 · Three months after surviving her first-ever motion of censure, Ursula von der Leyen faces not one but two simultaneous attempts to topple her European Commission. The debate in the Europ…
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/von-der-leyen-faces-two-050018170.…
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“Among the most notable is the ‘Pfizergate’ scandal, which centered on personal text messages the EU chief exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during negotiations over a €35 billion deal for 1.8 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses.”
CORROBORATED
Three separate web search results confirm the existence of the 'Pfizergate' scandal, centering on text messages between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla regarding vaccine negotiations.
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web search NEUTRAL — Ursula von der Leyen Pfizergate is a scandal involving European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer over the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines. The …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfizergate
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web search NEUTRAL — An EU court has ruled that the European Commission violated transparency rules by failing to grant access to text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of pharma giant Pfizer. In a ...
https://www.euractiv.com/news/pfizergate-commission-broke-tr…
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web search NEUTRAL — The EU's general court has ruled against the European Commission in a battle over the publication of private text messages between president Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer's chief executive ...
https://www.ft.com/content/e9285e82-7873-4592-a3c2-ff458f20a…
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“In May 2025, an EU court ruled the commission had “failed to provide credible explanations” for why the messages were not retained.”
CORROBORATED
Three web search results cite the EU General Court ruling against the Commission regarding the non-disclosure of texts, with one specifically mentioning the date May 14, 2025.
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web search NEUTRAL — By an application based on the Access to Documents Regulation, 1 Matina Stevi, a journalist working for the daily newspaper The New York Times, requested the European Commission to provide access to a…
https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/202…
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web search NEUTRAL — The EU's General Court annulled on Wednesday a European Commission decision not to disclose text messages Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer exchanged during ...
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/eu-court-annuls-rejec…
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web search NEUTRAL — 14 May 2025 - The General Court of the European Union has annulled the European Commission decision to refuse access to text messages relating to COVID-19 vaccine negotiations, stating that doing so v…
https://www.access-info.org/2025-05-14/pfizergate-eu-court-r…
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“Von der Leyen has survived multiple no-confidence votes in the past two years, with her critics lambasting her over a lack of transparency and handling of the immigration issue.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, despite the claim suggesting multiple events (surviving no-confidence votes, criticism over transparency/immigration).
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“She has also long been attempting to force through a series of fundamental changes to EU rules in order to create a two-tier bloc, into which Ukraine could be integrated despite not meeting the usual requirements for member states.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, despite the claim suggesting specific political maneuvering regarding a two-tier EU bloc for Ukraine.
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“An April 2026 Polling Europe Euroscope survey placed von der Leyen’s approval rating at 33%, a 12% drop from February.”
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“A separate Ipsos EuroPulse poll from September 2025 put her positive rating even lower, at just 23%.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.