Friedrich Merz has been elected German chancellor at the second time of trying – the first time someone in his position has failed to be elected on the first attempt.
The centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader received 325 votes, nine more than the 316 that constitute an absolute majority in the Bundestag. In the first vote this morning, Merz received just 310 votes. That was despite his coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) holding some 328 seats in parliament. Like many recent political developments in Germany, it was a first for the Federal Republic.
Merz already faces one of the toughest intrays of any recent chancellor
Because the vote for chancellor is held using a secret ballot, it’s not immediately obvious who was responsible for the missing votes. There are plenty of suspects. Perhaps some holdouts were CDU MPs who had not forgiven Merz for his decision to abandon the debt brake after February’s election.
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