In the second round of voting, the CDU leader received enough votes for his chancellorship—many consider this an important and good day for democracy: not everything goes through.

So it happened after all: after his embarrassing defeat in the first round of voting, Friedrich Merz was able to breathe a sigh of relief at 4:15 p.m. – 325 members of parliament voted for him, which is the majority, and the CDU leader is now chancellor.

The CDU leader was elected by the German Bundestag in the second round of voting on Wednesday with the required majority and is thus the 10th chancellor in the history of the Federal Republic.

The road to office was not easy: in the first ballot, Merz received only 310 votes in a secret ballot – six fewer than the 316 required for an absolute majority. This was the first time in German history that a candidate for chancellor failed on the first attempt.

Second attempt under intense scrutiny

The CDU/CSU parliamentary group and its coalition partner, the SPD, nevertheless stood by Merz. Before the second vote, Union faction leader Jens Spahn appealed to the members of parliament: “All of Europe – perhaps even the world – is watching this second ballot.” He said they were aware of the historic significance and responsibility.

With support from the coalition factions, Merz was successfully elected in the second ballot. The Bundestag session had previously been adjusted in agreement with the Green Party and the Left Party so that another ballot could be held on the same day. “I would like to thank everyone who worked together to make this orderly process possible,” Spahn said in his speech.

“Democratic process – in a difficult situation”

Spahn emphasized that the situation after the first ballot had been unusual, but part of a democratic process. Despite the setback, the parliamentary group had stood united behind Merz.

With his election, Friedrich Merz now begins a new stage in his political career – as head of a grand coalition government comprising the CDU/CSU and SPD, which has announced ambitious reform projects, particularly in domestic and economic policy.

Merz himself accepted the election in the afternoon – after years of opposition politics and a difficult search for a majority in parliament. His inauguration also marks a turning point in German domestic politics: the Merz era has officially begun.

Image:
APA