Friedrich Merz Fails in Shock Bundestag Vote to Become German Chancellor

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s Christian Democrat-Social Democrat coalition, faced an unexpected setback on Tuesday after failing to secure enough votes in the Bundestag to become chancellor.

Despite expectations that his election would be a mere formality following the coalition agreement between the two centrist parties, Merz received only 310 votes—falling six short of the required 316 for a majority. This comes in the wake of February’s snap national election, which left no party with an outright majority.

“After the coalition agreement between CDU, CSU and SPD was signed yesterday, Friedrich Merz is officially elected federal chancellor today,” the CDU declared in a post on X early Tuesday, only to have to walk it back hours later.

The CDU and SPD together hold a solid majority with 328 out of 630 seats in the Bundestag, but Friedrich Merz’s bid for chancellor was unexpectedly derailed in Tuesday’s first-round vote. According to the BBC, 18 MPs who were expected to support Merz withheld their votes, costing him the required majority.

SDP co-leader Lars Klingbeil, who was set to serve as vice chancellor, denied that members of his party were responsible for the defection, implying that the rebellion came from within Merz’s own CDU ranks.

The shock defeat has thrown Merz’s upcoming diplomatic engagements scheduled visits to Paris and Warsaw on Wednesday, World War II commemorations in Germany on Thursday, and meetings in Brussels on Friday into uncertainty.

This is the first time in over 70 years that a German chancellor candidate has failed to win the first-round vote, delivering a major blow to Merz’s efforts to move beyond the tumult of Olaf Scholz’s ousted administration, which collapsed after a no-confidence vote in December.