General
Friedrich Merz Fails in First Round of Voting to Become Germany’s Next Leader
The setback was likely temporary, but it was historic. No modern German chancellor has ever failed to secure the job on a first ballot in Parliament.
Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s Christian Democrats and its leader-in-waiting for the last 10 weeks, failed in his first parliamentary vote to become chancellor on Tuesday morning.
The setback was likely temporary: Mr. Merz’s party, its sister party, the Christian Social Union, and their coalition partner, the center-left Social Democrats, still have enough votes to elect a chancellor and form a government. Mr. Merz will now need to pressure the six holdout voters from his coalition to support him on a second ballot.
But it was a stumble without German precedent. Since the founding of modern Germany, no candidate for chancellor has ever failed the first round of voting.
