Friedrich Merz Fails to Secure Absolute Majority in German Chancellor Election

A complication arose during the election of Germany’s new chancellor in the Bundestag. Friedrich Merz, the candidate for the position of the 10th Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, did not secure the absolute majority needed for his election. Out of the votes cast, 310 were in favor of Merz (the CDU/CSU-SPD coalition has 328 members), 307 against, with three abstentions and one invalid vote. Nine members were absent from the process. To elect the new chancellor, 316 votes are required out of the 630 federal representatives. It was expected that Merz would achieve the necessary majority in the first round since the parties of the new governing coalition, the Christian Union (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), collectively hold 628 seats. However, some decided otherwise. Moving forward, after Merz’s failure to be elected as chancellor in the first vote, the Bundestag now has 14 days to conduct another vote, aiming for the candidate to secure 50% +1 of all members. If no majority is achieved, a third round will require only a simple majority of those present.