The Daily Populous Tuesday May 6th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by bbc.com and submitted by Odd_Responsibility_5

Germany's Merz becomes chancellor after surviving historic vote failure

4 hours ago Share Save Paul Kirby and Jessica Parker In London and Berlin Share Save

Getty Images A second vote was agreed on Tuesday afternoon, hours after Merz's initial defeat

Conservative leader Friedrich Merz has won a parliament vote to become Germany's next chancellor at the second attempt. Merz had initially fallen six votes short of the absolute majority he needed on Tuesday morning - a significant blow to his prestige and an unprecedented failure in post-war German history. As it was a secret ballot in the 630-seat Bundestag, there was no indication who had refused to back him - whether MPs from his centre-left coalition partner or his own conservatives. After hours of uncertainty in the Bundestag, the parties and the president of the Bundestag agreed to hold a second vote, which Merz then won with 325 votes, a majority of nine.

His coalition with the Social Democrats should have had enough seats in parliament from the start, with 328 MPs in total, but it is thought 18 of them dissented during the first vote. No chancellor candidate has lost a Bundestag vote in the 76 years since democracy was restored in Germany in 1949, and there was a prevailing mood of confusion in parliament in the hours after the vote. Under Germany's constitution, there is no limit to how many votes can be held but in practice another defeat for Merz would have meant a headache for his Christian Democrats, its sister party the Christian Social Union and their partner the Social Democrats. The result meant a total debacle had been averted, declared one German news website. Merz, 69, was then sworn in as chancellor by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his team of 17 ministers were due to take office.

Bundestag President Julia Klöckner had originally been planning a follow-up vote on Wednesday, but Christian Democrat General Secretary Carsten Linnemann said it was important to press ahead. "Europe needs a strong Germany, that's why we can't wait for days," he told German TV. Parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn appealed to his colleagues' sense of responsibility: "All of Europe, perhaps the whole world, is watching this ballot." Merz's defeat had been seen by political commentators as a humiliation, possibly inflicted by a handful of disaffected members of the Social Democrat SPD, which signed a coalition deal with his conservatives on Monday. The Bundestag president told MPs that nine of the 630 MPs had been absent for the first vote while three had abstained and another ballot paper had been declared invalid. Germany's new Europe Minister, Gunther Krichbaum, told the BBC that some MPs may have hoped for a ministerial or state secretary role and had their hopes dashed. He also pointed out that some young Social Democrats had publicly said they were not convinced by Merz.

Conservative colleague Johann Wadephul: "I'm sure [Merz] will be the next chancellor"

However, SPD officials were adamant their party was fully committed to the coalition deal. "It was a secret vote so nobody knows," senior Social Democrat MP Ralf Stegner told the BBC, "but I can tell you I don't have the slightest impression that our parliamentary group wouldn't have known our responsibility." Krichbaum, a conservative, said the clear message was that "now we are today in the situation to create a stable government" to tackle Germany's big issues, including migration and the economy. Far-right party Alternative for Germany, which came second in the February election with 20.8% of the vote, seized on Merz's initial failure and called for fresh elections. Joint leader Alice Weidel wrote on X that the vote showed "the weak foundation on which the small coalition has been built between the [conservatives] and SPD, which was rejected by voters".

Merz's choice for foreign minister, Christian Democrat colleague Johann Wadephul, told the BBC the initial vote was "an obstacle but not a catastrophe". Germany's handover of government is carefully choreographed. On the eve of Tuesday's vote, outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz was treated to a traditional Grand Tattoo by an armed forces orchestra. Merz had then been expected to sail through the initial vote on Tuesday morning, fulfilling a long-held ambition to become German chancellor. His rival and former chancellor Angela Merkel had come to the Bundestag to watch the vote take place. She was not present for the second vote.

EPA Former chancellor Angela Merkel had come to the Bundestag to see the vote

pathlinker on May 6th, 2025 at 11:03 UTC »

This was only the first vote! Behold! As there still can be two more. But this has never happened before, so I'm all excited for round two. 😄

supern00b64 on May 6th, 2025 at 08:44 UTC »

I think this shouldn't lead to anything too bad. I assume the no votes come from hardliners in the Union who disliked his debt brake agreement. According to the bundestag website they have 14 days for the second round during which they'll do backroom deals, and even if that fails the third round only requires a plurality not a majority of votes.

Worst case scenario would be Merz elected by plurality but he is then immediately toppled by a no confidence vote resulting in new elections. However I doubt the Greens or even the Left would do so since polling for the AfD has only increased since early this year.

At least this is my speculation feel free to correct me.

Lagas76 on May 6th, 2025 at 08:38 UTC »

That’s definitely a blow for him, but I think he should meet with the dissidents and understand their reasons and make an agreement. That’s politics and will show if he can make bridges with the adversaries. At least one more time he should be given the chance to form government.