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Merz fails to be elected German chancellor

Politiko 2025-05-06 11:00:00

Merz fails to be elected German chancellor

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz failed to secure a parliamentary majority to be elected chancellor on Tuesday, marking an unexpected setback for his new coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD).

Merz, 69, who led the CDU/CSU to victory in February's federal election, received only 310 votes in the Bundestag, six short of the required majority of 316 votes, Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner announced.

After the vote, Kloeckner adjourned the parliamentary session to give the groups the opportunity to consult on next steps.

The German parliament now has 14 days to elect Merz or another candidate with an absolute majority, with a possible vote that could take place again on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

Although the Conservatives won the election with 28.5 percent of the vote, they needed a partner to form a majority government.

On Monday, they signed a coalition agreement with the SPD, which had come out with the worst result in its post-World War II history, just 16.4 percent.

The CDU/CSU alliance led by Merz and its coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), have vowed to revive the weakened economy and rebuild the military at a time when US President Donald Trump has questioned the future of transatlantic security and trade ties.

Merz has also vowed to curb irregular immigration and halt the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which came in second place in February's snap elections.

The AfD was declared a "right-wing extremist group" by Germany's domestic intelligence service on Friday - a move that has sparked a new clash with the Trump administration, and against which the AfD launched legal action on Monday.

Merz, who has extensive business experience but zero experience in government leadership, promised "strong, credible and well-planned governance" at Monday's signing ceremony.

"We live in times of profound change, profound upheaval... and great uncertainty, and that is why we know it is our historic duty to lead this coalition to success," he said./ REL

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