Merz elected German Chancellor on second attempt
Friedrich Merz was elected as the Federal Chancellor of Germany in the second round of voting in the Bundestag. He received 325 votes, against the required 316, Spiegel reports .
The vote took place on the afternoon of May 6, immediately after a disastrous first ballot in which Merz received only 310 votes.
This time, 325 members of parliament voted for Merz's candidacy, nine more than the required 316 votes.
289 voted against, one abstained, and three ballots were declared invalid.
It was previously reported that this situation with the election of the chancellor has occurred for the first time in the history of Germany. Never before has a candidate for the position of chancellor been defeated in a vote in the Bundestag after successful coalition negotiations.
- On April 9, 2025, the German conservatives and Social Democrats reached a coalition agreement and agreed to form a government .
- On April 30, Scholz's party voted in favor of a coalition agreement with the CDU/CSU, and Merz was elected as the candidate for Chancellor of Germany.
- On May 5, the Social Democratic Party of Germany officially signed a coalition agreement with the leaders of the Christian Democratic and Christian Social Unions (CDU/CSU).
