Candidate of the three -party coalitions of CDU, CSU and SPD in a secret ballot 325 MPs supported – said the chairwoman of the Bundestag Julia Kloeckner. The absolute majority required is 316 votes. 289 parliamentarians voted against.
Friedrich Merz, the head of the CDU, unexpectedly failed in the first vote in the Bundestag on Tuesday. Despite this, he did not give up applying for the office of the Chancellor and at the request of the CDU, CSU and SPD coalition, he again submitted his candidacy for voting.
For the first time since World War II, the new Chancellor did not obtain sufficient support of parliamentarians in the first round of voting.
Bloomberg wrote that “Friedrich Merz obtained the support of Parliament as the new German Chancellor at the second attempt, paving the path to the conservative leader to take control of the largest economy of Europe, but with significantly reduced authority “.
Friedrich Merz – Who is he?
Friedrich Merz is a German politician and lawyer, born on November 11, 1955 in Brilon. He studied law and economics, and then started working as a judge and tax advisor. In the years 1989–1994 he was an MP to the European Parliament and then he was elected to the Bundestag.
Merz gained recognition as the leader of the CDU/CSU faction in the Bundestag in the early 2000s. After withdrawing from active politics, he worked in the private sector, including as the head of the German branch of Blackrock. In 2018, he returned to politics, applying for the leadership of CDU, although he initially lost to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. Ultimately, he became the chairman of the CDU in 2022, covering the party after the departure of Armin Laschet.
Merz is known for conservative economic and social views. His leadership style is sometimes described as firm and pragmatic.
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