Merz fails to be elected German chancellor in first round of parliamentary vote
The head of the German government is elected by the parliament deputies through a secret ballot, without prior discussion, based on a proposal from the president.
As a rule, the candidate is from the party that has won the most votes in the parliamentary elections. This time, that party is Merz’s.
On Monday, leaders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the conservative bloc of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) signed a coalition agreement, ten weeks after the early elections to the Bundestag, thus paving the way for Merz’s election as Chancellor.
To become head of the government, Merz must secure the support of 316 out of 630 deputies.
Thus with Bundestag voting on the candidacy for the new Chancellor of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz was expected to assume the position.
However Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), did not receive sufficient support to become chancellor in the first round of a parliamentary vote, Bundestag President Julia Klockner said, according to a broadcast on the legislature’s website.
A total of 310 out of the 621 lawmakers voted in Merz’s favor, while he needed 316 votes to be elected. The factions of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the bloc of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) hold a total of 328 seats in the Bundestag.
Merz chose not to hold the second round of a parliamentary vote later today, the Bild newspaper reported, citing sources in the parliamentary faction of the CDU and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU).
His foreign visits scheduled for Wednesday are now uncertain. He planned to travel to Paris and then to Warsaw.
The Merz situation marks the first time in Germany’s history that a candidate nominated by a winning party has failed to secure election following successful coalition talks.
Article 63 of the constitution says that “if the candidate fails to be elected, the Bundestag can elect a federal chancellor by absolute majority within 14 days of the vote.”
If Merz believes he has a chance of winning in the second round, he can once again stand as a candidate at any time. Other candidates will also have the opportunity to compete, but any of them will have to gain 316 votes to be elected.
If no one is elected within 14 days, another round of vote will have to be held immediately and the candidate who receives a simple majority of votes will be considered elected.
Germany held its early parliamentary elections on February 23. The CDU/CSU bloc won, garnering 28.5% of the vote. For the first time in its history, the Alternative for Germany party came in second with 20.8%.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) came in third, receiving 16.4% of the vote, followed by the Greens (11.6%) and the Left Party (8.8%).
