Fajon’s chances will be bolstered because she is a woman. The biggest political parties in the European Parliament have repeatedly warned they will vote down Juncker’s team if it has less than nine women. Without Bratušek, there are only eight.

After Juncker confirmed Bratušek had quit, the two biggest political parties in the parliament, the S&D and the majority European’s People’s Party (EPP), came out to support Fajon.

The Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, also said in a statement that Fajon was already one of the candidates presented by the Slovenian government last summer. She perfectly fits the bill to become Slovenia’s Commissioner, he said.

Party of the European Socialists President Sergei Stanishev said that Fajon has experience, skills and the energy to be the right candidate. “Tanja has my support and that of the PES Presidency,” he said.  Fajon, a former journalist, was elected for the first time to the European Parliament in 2009. She sits in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.