Friedrich Merz became a historic stumbling block in Tuesday's post-war minister, which could complicate his efforts to restore the U.S. recession economy, while his efforts restored the nation's economy, tightened borders and rebuilt the military while isolated Europe aspired to a strong German leader.
After 10 weeks of victory, the country initially dropped six votes in a parliamentary vote for ministers on Tuesday morning after a 10-week victory in the February election, a failure with no precedent in modern German history.
Voting is conducted on a secret vote, leaving behind the reasons for failure. The new council party has enough seats to elect him. But some lawmakers speculated that a series of individual protests votes could be accidental, and combined with an embarrassing setback.
Mr. Meles, 69, rebounded and held his second vote in the afternoon. Nevertheless, rival parties and outside analysts warned that his credibility suffered at home and abroad, while his most left-wing rival in Germany said Mr. Meers had lost legitimacy.
Political observers say a brief setback could make it more difficult for the new prime minister to project strength on the world stage and pass key legislation to advance expectations of his agenda. Mr. Meers hopes to have a clear vote of confidence in parliament as he tries to face President Trump's tariff threat to Germany's heavy economy, reverse economic discomfort in his country and oppose aggressive Russia in the East.
“Germany and Europe need to act as a stable anchor in a global turbulent global environment,” said Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, senior vice president of Bertelsmann Stiftung, a nonpartisan foundation in Guterro, Germany. But Mr. Meles' unexpected delay in elections “may indicate the Rock Age.”
“Voters’ trust in elite policymakers has been decreasing,” Ms. Ashbrook said. “At times like this, self-doubt within the government is harmful.”
Mr. Melz is largely expected to win the first vote, and dissidents do not identify with themselves.
However, based on the composition of the parliament, within Mr. Melz's party, there seem to be more than a dozen of the central right-wing Christian Democrats. Its sister party, the Christian social alliance; and their alliance partners, the social democrats of the center left. The three parties have 328 seats, and most people need 316 seats.
The league gathered in the afternoon behind Mr. Meers, and if there were further delays, members warned of dire consequences. He won 15 votes in the second round, enough to secure the job.
“To get a stable government in Germany, we can quickly start working within a reliable structure and work to ensure that the country is strong and well ruled by the government,” Lars Kllepbeil, Germany's new deputy prime minister, told reporters.
On Tuesday night, several lawmakers said privately that lawmakers from across the league may have voted against Mr. Melz and Mr. Clinbel in protest. Both angered their party factions while compromising on a coalition agreement, including Mr. Meers’ decision to reverse his campaign commitments and endorse plans to relax government borrowing and spending.
Councillors speculated that the protesters did not know there was enough vote to actually bid on Mr. Meles.
The protests mostly disappeared in the afternoon, with coalition leaders giving harsh speeches to party members. Jens Spahn of the Christian Democrat told reporters that “the whole of Europe, perhaps the whole world” was watching the vote and calling on his legislators to “aware of this particular responsibility.”
Mr. Melz has earned his prime minister status and has now inherited a growing set of challenges. The German economy shrank last year, and a decade-long trend has left workers and business leaders depressed morale. The outlook for new growth appears dark, especially as Mr. Trump's punishment of tariff measures threats to Germany's export-oriented manufacturing industry.
Mr. Trump also threatened to tear open the US's European defense umbrella to complicate relations between Germany and the United States, the most important ally of the post-war era. In addition to Russia's invasion of eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin also introduced what security analysts call a vandalism campaign against Europe.
The new prime minister also needs to act decisively to address German concerns about decade-long migration flows from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere to the country, which has attracted attention from a series of deadly attacks on immigrants.
And he will need to postpone the far-right alternative to German parties, which almost attracted Mr. Melz's party even in the national poll, and was backed by the voices of well-known Trump allies such as billionaire Elon Musk.
The U.S. Department of Defense has pledged to combat immigration and has received support for the long-term management class in Germany’s long-term rule of class center and right-center. It is also listed as a far-right extremist group by German intelligence.
After the victory delay, Mr. Meles wasted no time infiltrating these challenges. He immediately embarked on the etiquette mission of holding the country's highest leadership position, and he and his cabinet swore after meeting with the German president that he would convene his first cabinet meeting at 10 p.m. local time.
On Wednesday, Mr. Meers will travel to Paris and Warsaw to meet with key allies. He will also visit Ukraine and Brussels soon and is expected to go to Washington after that.
The surprising drama of the German parliament has caused European politicians to worry about what Mr. Meers' tripping might mean for a continent increasingly looking for Germany to lead.
“Naturally, we need a strong government in Berlin,” Kaja Kallas, senior EU representative for Foreign and Security Policy, said in an interview with German broadcaster Phoenix. “What happens in German politics, but what happens in its economy has an impact on all European countries.”
German stocks slid in the news of the first vote, with economists warning that this could be an ominous sign for Mr. Meers’ agenda to revitalize growth in Europe’s largest economy. Germany's blue chip index fell, led by a decline in defense and energy companies that will benefit from future government-planned investment plans.
They recovered a lot of losses after Mr. Meles won the second round.
After Mr. Melz won the vote, there was a clear sense of relief in Parliament. Lawmakers congratulated him, including some outside his coalition, such as members of the center-left Green Party. Among the first handshake, his ex and opponent in the last campaign was Olaf Scholz, who insisted in recent weeks that the transfer of power to successors had happened quickly and smoothly.
After the vote, a senior MP heard on the phone say he could go to work now.
Melissa Eddy and Clay resurrection Contributed reports from Berlin.
