The conservative leader of Germany surprisingly lost a vote in parliament to become chancellor. Two and a half months after winning Germany’s federal elections, Friedrich Merz suffered a serious setback when he only received 310 of the 630 votes required for the Bundestag.
Although his centre-left alliance had enough seats in parliament, it seems that 18 members of parliament who were supposed to support him disagreed. It is believed that Merz’s defeat in the first vote was unheard of in contemporary German history. Merz or another candidate with the support of more than half of the Bundestag’s members will now have another 14 days to be chosen as chancellor.
The German constitution limits the number of votes that can be cast, although a candidate may be chosen with a simple majority if no absolute majority is obtained in that time frame. There was a general air of bewilderment, and no further votes were anticipated immediately.
While Christian Democrat General Secretary Carsten Linnemann stated he hoped for a second round before the end of the day, it was reported that Julia Klöckner, the president of the Bundestag, was contemplating a second vote on Wednesday. He told German TV, “We can’t wait for days because Europe needs a strong Germany.
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