Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
World
Home / World / Europe

Merz fails to secure majority in Bundestag vote for German chancellor

Xinhua | Updated: 2025-05-06 17:31
Share
Share - WeChat
Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) looks on after a faction meeting, following the announcement of the result as he fails to be elected chancellor by German parliament, in Berlin, Germany May 6, 2025. [Photo/Agencies]

BERLIN -- Friedrich Merz, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)'s candidate for German chancellor, failed to secure the required majority in Tuesday's Bundestag vote, falling six votes short of the 316 needed to be elected chancellor.

Merz received 310 votes in the secret ballot. A total of 621 out of 630 members of the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, cast their votes, one of which was invalid.

Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner interrupted the plenary session after the voting results were announced.

The discussions of parliamentary groups are still ongoing. It is still unclear when the second round of voting will take place.

The day before, the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), had formally signed a coalition agreement with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The CDU/CSU and the SPD had also successively announced their cabinet lists.

During the coalition negotiations, Merz had repeatedly emphasized his hope to quickly end the protracted political stalemate, reverse the economic decline, and reassert Germany's influence on international affairs as a majority government.

However, the failure in Tuesday's vote means Merz became the first chancellor candidate since World War II to fail to be elected in the first round.

According to the German Basic Law, the Bundestag can hold a second round of voting within 14 days to elect a chancellor by an absolute majority of its members.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US