Merz clinches chancellorship after historic Bundestag stumble
The Bundestag elected CDU leader Friedrich Merz as Chancellor of Germany on the second attempt. The previous vote ended in defeat for the politician. Commentators also see it as a setback for the entire Federal Republic of Germany.
The candidate from the three-party coalition of CDU, CSU, and SPD was supported by 325 members of parliament in a secret ballot, announced Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner. The required absolute majority was 316 votes, while 289 parliamentarians voted against.
In the first vote, held earlier in the day, Merz unexpectedly did not secure the required absolute majority of 316 votes. This was the first such incident in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. He received backing from 310 members in the secret ballot. Eighteen coalition deputies either did not participate in the vote, despite being present in the Bundestag building, or voted against their own candidate.
The largest opposition party, the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), is demanding Merz's resignation from candidacy and calling for early elections.
The media and politicians from other groups have considered the result of the first vote a serious defeat for Friedrich Merz, which complicates the start of his government. The CDU/CSU and SPD factions, with agreement from the Greens and the Left, decided to change the Bundestag's rules by a two-thirds majority to allow a re-vote on the same day, avoiding a mandatory three-day break.
"A defeat for Merz and all of Germany"
The German daily "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" commented that the defeat of Friedrich Merz, designated as Chancellor, in the Bundestag vote is an unprecedented event in the history of the FRG, and the resulting damage is already significant.
"(...) We can already say that his term as chancellor is a historical event, because his own coalition did not trust him at the very beginning," wrote Nicolas Richter.
Instead of embarking on a trip to Paris and Warsaw, Merz must now face the second round of voting. "It is a defeat for both Merz and the entire Federal Republic," the commentator assessed.
