Merz Succeeds in Becoming German Chancellor on Second Try
Friedrich Merz has been elected as German chancellor following a second Bundestag vote on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union had unexpectedly fallen short of the required 316-vote threshold, missing it...
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Friedrich Merz has been elected as German chancellor following a second Bundestag vote on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union had unexpectedly fallen short of the required 316-vote threshold, missing it by six votes. However, after rallying conservatives and allies in parliament, he secured 325 votes in the subsequent vote.
This situation is unprecedented in Germany’s post-war history, as no prospective chancellor had ever failed to be approved by the Bundestag on their first attempt after finalizing a coalition agreement.
Merz encountered opposition from 289 MPs, largely from the Left and Green parties, who voted against him. The second vote was conducted after four parliamentary factions reached an agreement to modify procedures to prevent delays. Urgent closed-door meetings were reportedly held between the votes, according to PMG.
Before the second round of voting, CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn addressed lawmakers, stating that “all of Europe, perhaps even the entire world, is watching this second round of voting.” He appealed for a sense of responsibility during this critical moment, as quoted by broadcaster ARD.
Following Merz’s initial failure, Bernd Baumann, a leader of the Alternative for Germany party faction in the Bundestag, remarked: “Mr. Merz, you have failed. This is a historic defeat, the likes of which have never been seen in this Bundestag before.” Meanwhile, Green Party politician Renate Kuenast referred to a “massive loss of authority” for the incoming chancellor, according to broadcaster ZDF.
Left Party parliamentary leader Christian Goerke described the situation as a “crushing defeat” for Merz, attributing it to a “truly poor coalition agreement [between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats] that fails to address the major problems facing this country.”
The previous three-way coalition government led by the SPD disbanded last November due to internal conflicts over spending. The newly formed CDU-SPD coalition has committed to maintaining key aspects of former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s agenda, including backing for Ukraine and activating a constitutional debt brake to increase the military budget.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
This situation is unprecedented in Germany’s post-war history, as no prospective chancellor had ever failed to be approved by the Bundestag on their first attempt after finalizing a coalition agreement.
Merz encountered opposition from 289 MPs, largely from the Left and Green parties, who voted against him. The second vote was conducted after four parliamentary factions reached an agreement to modify procedures to prevent delays. Urgent closed-door meetings were reportedly held between the votes, according to PMG.
Before the second round of voting, CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn addressed lawmakers, stating that “all of Europe, perhaps even the entire world, is watching this second round of voting.” He appealed for a sense of responsibility during this critical moment, as quoted by broadcaster ARD.
Following Merz’s initial failure, Bernd Baumann, a leader of the Alternative for Germany party faction in the Bundestag, remarked: “Mr. Merz, you have failed. This is a historic defeat, the likes of which have never been seen in this Bundestag before.” Meanwhile, Green Party politician Renate Kuenast referred to a “massive loss of authority” for the incoming chancellor, according to broadcaster ZDF.
Left Party parliamentary leader Christian Goerke described the situation as a “crushing defeat” for Merz, attributing it to a “truly poor coalition agreement [between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats] that fails to address the major problems facing this country.”
The previous three-way coalition government led by the SPD disbanded last November due to internal conflicts over spending. The newly formed CDU-SPD coalition has committed to maintaining key aspects of former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s agenda, including backing for Ukraine and activating a constitutional debt brake to increase the military budget.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
