It was an unexpected defeat since World War II Tuesday since Conservative leader Friedrich Merz won six votes in Parliament on Tuesday, a historic first Conservative leader Friedrich Merz.
The prime minister's candidate has never won the first vote since the war ended. Loss triggered a slide for the stock market: DAX, the index of major German companies, fell 1.8% after the vote.
Merz needs 316 of 630 votes. He received only 310 votes, far less than the 328 seats his league has, which is already one of the slimmer majority since the war.
Merz's alliance was formed after the February elections and was led by his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Alliance and the center-left Social Democrats, and the party of outgoing Prime Minister Olaf Scholz have joined them.
German House of Commons President Julia Kloeckner said nine members abstained, while 307 votes were cast against Merz.
The parties are now going to reorganize and discuss the next step, but it is not clear how long the process may take.
The federal government has an absolute majority of candidates for 14 days of election.
Despite his official farewell on Monday, Scholz remained in the caretaker until the new prime minister took over.
“Annoying process”
The setback is the many summits that will be attended next month, involving the EU in Brussels, NATO in The Hague in the Netherlands and the G7 summit hosted in Alta Cananaskis between June 15 and 17.
Germany is Ukraine’s second largest supplier of military aid and ranks fourth in the world in defense spending, according to the Stockholm Institute for International Peace, which examines trends in global military spending.
“The world is in turmoil. Europe needs a strong Germany,” Christian Democratic Secretary General Carsten Linnemann told reporters after Merz's defeat. He said the second vote should be done soon.
“We can’t wait for a few days, we need to be quick and clear.”
Germany has the largest economy on the mainland and serves as a diplomatic heavyweight. The new prime minister's portfolio will include the Ukrainian war and the Donald Trump administration's trade policies on domestic issues, such as Germany's stagnant economy and the rise of a far-right, anti-immigrant party.
Merz, who made a surprisingly straightforward comment on the status of relations with the United States after the February election, said: “It's clear that Americans, at least Americans, this administration, this region is indifferent to the fate of Europe.”
In addition to boosting defense spending, Melz's alliance has pledged to stimulate economic growth, adopt a tougher immigration approach and catch up with long-neglected modernization.
Meles can run again, but other councillors can throw their hats on the ring as well. There is no limit on the number of votes that can be held during a two-week period.
If Merz or any other candidate fails to get a majority in 14 days, the constitution allows the president to appoint the candidate who wins the most votes, or disband the regime and hold a new national election.
John Wadephul, the next foreign secretary, said Melz would eventually prevail.
“It's an annoying process, but in a parliamentary democracy, in a liberal state, it's one of the situations you have to prepare for,” he told reporters.
Opposition leader Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Alliance and its Bavarian sister party Christian Social Alliance are winning national elections, according to a poll on withdrawal on Sunday. Meanwhile, Germany's (AFD) alternatives have almost doubled, the strongest performance of far-right parties since World War II. Whether Melz needs one or two partners to form a coalition will depend on how many parties are entering Parliament.
Volker Resit, who wrote his recent biography Friedrich Merz: His Way to PowerSurprised at the turn of the event.
“This shows how fragile the situation in the coalition is, and some lawmakers are ready to spread uncertainty – it's a warning sign,” Resing told the Associated Press.
After recovery, it said that if Meles was elected in the second round, everything would be fine and people might soon forget about this ic. But “everything is open now,” he added.
AFD PANS 'weak' alliance on the far right
Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right, anti-immigrant alternatives for the German party, slammed Meers' failure to prove his alliance has a “weak foundation.”
The AFD is second in the February election and is the largest opposition party in Germany's new parliament. Despite historic gains, mainstream German parties have insisted on cooperating with far-right parties since the end of the war, but it was turned away due to the so-called “firewall”.
Last week, the German Domestic Intelligence Agency said it had classified the AFD as a “right-wing extremist” group, giving it greater and wider surveillance.
The measures of the Domestic Intelligence Agency are not equivalent to banning the party’s ban, which can only be carried out through the request of the two parliaments of the parliament or the federal government through the federal constitutional court.
Myers has not publicly commented on the intelligence department’s decision.
Since Trump took office in January, the U.S. government has repeatedly criticized Germany. Trump has German roots and often expresses his dislike for former Prime Minister Angela Merkel, his first term in office.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance attacked the “firewall” at the Munich security conference in February and later met with Weidel instead of German leader Scholz.
Similarly, Trump Ally Elon Musk held a chat with Weidel, who had a chat on X earlier this year to expand the party’s message.
