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Merz fails to be elected chancellor in shock first-round vote
Merz, 69, who led his CDU/CSU conservatives to a federal election victory in February and signed a coalition deal with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), won just 310 votes in the secret ballot in the lower house, the Bundestag, six short of an absolute majority. It meant at least 18 coalition MPs had failed to back him.
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Designated Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) reacts on the day of a session of the German lower house of parliament Bundestag, to elect the new German chancellor, in Berlin, Germany May 6, 2025. (Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch)
G
erman conservative leader Friedrich Merz failed to secure enough parliamentary votes to become chancellor on Tuesday in a major blow that threw politics in Europe's largest economy once more into disarray.
Merz, 69, who led his CDU/CSU conservatives to a federal election victory in February and signed a coalition deal with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), won just 310 votes in the secret ballot in the lower house, the Bundestag, six short of an absolute majority. It meant at least 18 coalition MPs had failed to back him.
While not a fatal setback, Merz's failure to win parliamentary backing at the first time of asking is a first for post-war Germany and an embarrassment for a man who has promised to revive economic growth at a time of global turbulence.
Most immediately, it threw into doubt the trips Merz had planned to France and Poland on Wednesday as the new chancellor.
Nine lawmakers abstained while 307 voted against Merz, said Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner.
Merz, visibly shocked, rose to confer with colleagues. Party insiders had on Monday expressed confidence that he would secure a majority.
Kloeckner adjourned the parliamentary session to allow the parties to decide how to proceed. There was unlikely to be another vote on Tuesday.
"This is a significant negative. He (Merz) is still likely to be elected but this shows that the coalition is not united, which could weaken his ability to pursue policies," said Holger Schmieding, Chief Economist at Berenberg in London.
German shares extended their fall from near record levels and bond yields dipped. After the election in February, Merz had secured framework legislation for a huge borrowing programme focused on defence and infrastructure. Some of his own supporters were unhappy with the loosening of borrowing limits, however.
