Barroso wins new term as head of EU executive

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso secured a second five-year term on Wednesday in a vote at the European Parliament.

Of the assembly's 736 deputies, 382 voted for the 53-year-old centre-right leader and 219 opposed. The rest abstained or did not take part in the vote in the French city of Strasbourg.

Barroso, the only candidate, had already been endorsed by the 27 European Union member states and his re-appointment as head of the EU's executive had been all but certain because his centre-right allies are the main force in the parliament.