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Friedrich Merz has won a second-round parliamentary vote to become Germany’s chancellor after falling short earlier on Tuesday in a shock setback.
The 69-year-old Christian Democrat, who won elections in February and has teamed up with the Social Democrats to form a majority government, had been expected to triumph in the first round.
However, he secured a majority of the 630-member Bundestag only in his second attempt of the day, with 325 votes in a secret ballot.
Merz responded to the vote with brief comments. “Thank you for your trust,” he told the Bundestag. “I accept the election.”
His initial failure to secure an absolute majority in the parliament was the first such defeat in the history of postwar Germany.
The new chancellor won only 310 votes in the first ballot, even though the coalition partners have 328 seats between them.
“It’s never happened before at the federal level,” said Henning Meyer, professor at Tübingen university. “Clearly, there are disgruntled people.”
The CDU leader has planned to immediately set to work tackling the deep problems in Europe’s largest economy, which has suffered years of stagnation.
Merz is due to travel to Paris on Wednesday to meet President Emmanuel Macron in what is intended to be a demonstration of his commitment to the Franco-German partnership.
Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank, said Tuesday’s initial upset “shows that the coalition is not united, which could weaken his ability to pursue policies”.
Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany, had called for new elections after Merz’s initial failure to secure a majority, arguing that it revealed the “shakiness of the foundation” of his prospective coalition.
Officials stand in the empty ceremonial hall in Berlin’s Bellevue Palace after Friedrich Merz failed to reach majority in the first parliament vote as Germany’s new chancellor on Tuesday © John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
Merz has angered some within the more conservative wing of his CDU/CSU grouping by loosening the constitutional borrowing limit and embarking on a €1tn debt-fuelled spending programme to modernise the country’s military and its ageing infrastructure.
German stocks recovered from their session lows, with the Dax index down 0.5 per cent by late afternoon trading.
Lars Klingbeil, the Social Democrat co-leader who is due to take office as vice-chancellor and finance minister, has also faced internal criticism after his party suffered its worst electoral defeat with just 16 per cent of the votes in February.
Additional reporting by Ian Smith in London
This article has been amended to correct its account of the voting procedure for chancellor in subsequent rounds
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