Ursula von der Leyen, the German Defense Minister, in Munich, Germany. (File photo: Xinhua)

STRASBOURG, France, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Germany's Ursula von der Leyen was elected to be the next president of the European Commission on Tuesday with a slim majority.

She made history as the first female chief executive of the European Union. The slim majority also helped avert a political crisis for the world's largest trading bloc.