Oops! Merz Misses the Chance to Become Germany's Chancellor 🥲
German contender Friedrich Merz fails to secure sufficient votes in the initial round, putting on hold his installation as the country's Chancellor.
In an unexpected twist, Friedrich Merz's dream of becoming Germany's new chancellor didn't quite pan out. The dude's all backed up by the CDU-CSU coalition, but alas, he only managed to snag 310 votes during the secret ballot in the Bundestag. With 630 members in the house, they needed a whopping 316 votes to make it happen.
So, what does that mean for ol' Friedrich? Well, the swearing-in ceremony that was planned for Tuesday is now on hold (you can read all about it on dw.com).
You might be wondering, "Well, what now?", right? Under German law, if a candidate doesn't grab the brass ring on the first round, they've got a couple more chances to make it happen. But remember, if none of the candidates score an absolute majority after three rounds, a new election is in the cards.
Now, Merz and his peeps won the February elections, for sure, but with only 28.5% of the vote, they had to find some buddies to help 'em out. They teamed up with the Social Democrats (SPD), who, don't get me wrong, had a pretty rough post-war election, coming in at a measly 16.4%. The parties are now chatting about their next moves.
But hold up! Merz's CDU-CSU-SPD bloc has 328 seats, right? Well, they had a bit of a falling out in the secret ballot, which makes negotiating tougher. They gotta sort that out if they want another shot at the big dance.
Now, if nobody secures an absolute majority within the two-week window for the Bundestag to elect a chancellor, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier could throw Merz a freakin' lifeline by appointing him as chancellor if he manages to grab the most votes. Alternatively, Steinmeier could throw in the towel and call for a new election, but that's just speculation at this point.
Other candidates might enter the race, but Merz's the only one officially nominated by the coalition, for now. The SPD's diminished influence after their subpar election might make it tough for anyone to challenge Merz, though.
Speaking of challenges, the drop in the DAX (Germany's index for the stock market) by 1.8% post-vote shows that investors are officially feeling the jitters about the whole shebang. And let's not forget about that pesky far-right AfD and their antics. The group's growin' influence, combined with reported outreach from Trump-aligned figures, ain't exactly making things easy for Merz and his peeps. But hey, you never know! The game ain't over 'til it's over. 😉
- Despite securing a majority within the CDU-CSU coalition, Friedrich Merz fell short of the required votes to become Germany's chancellor during the secret ballot in the Bundestag.
- With only 310 votes, Merz missed the mark by a mere 6 votes, needing 316 to secure the position.
- The setback means that Merz's swearing-in ceremony, initially planned for Tuesday, is currently on hold, as German law allows candidates multiple chances to secure an absolute majority.
- However, the CDU-CSU-SPD bloc faces challenges in securing a majority, as the alliance had a falling out in the secret ballot, and they will need to negotiate effectively to have another shot at the chancellorship.
