Germany gets a new chancellor, in unexpectedly dramatic fashion

By Jim Tankersley and Christopher F. Schuetze

Friedrich Merz became Germany’s 10th postwar chancellor Tuesday after a historic stumble that could complicate his efforts to revive the nation’s slumping economy, tighten its borders and rebuild its military, at a time when an isolated Europe is hungry for strong German leadership.

After 10 weeks as the nation’s leader-in-waiting following his party’s victory in February elections, Merz initially fell six votes short in the parliamentary vote for chancellor Tuesday morning — a defeat without precedent in modern Germany’s history.

The votes were conducted on secret ballots, leaving the reasons for the failure murky; the parties in the new governing coalition held more than enough seats to elect him. But some lawmakers speculated that a series of individual protest votes had, possibly by accident, added up to an embarrassing setback.

Merz, 69, rebounded to win on a second ballot in the afternoon. Still, rival parties and outside analysts warned that his credibility had suffered at home and abroad, and his opponents on Germany’s far left and far right alike said that Merz had lost legitimacy.

Political observers said the brief setback could make it more difficult than expected for the new chancellor to project strength on the world stage and to pass critical legislation to advance his agenda. Merz had hoped for a clear vote of confidence in parliament as he seeks to confront President Donald Trump’s tariff threats against Germany’s export-heavy economy, reverse his country’s economic malaise and counter an aggressive Russia to the east.

“Germany and Europe need to serve as anchors of stability in a volatile global environment,” said Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, the senior vice president for Bertelsmann Stiftung, a nonpartisan foundation based in Gütersloh, Germany. But Merz’s unexpectedly delayed election “could signal rocky times ahead.”

“Voters’ trust in elite policymakers is already dwindling,” Ashbrook said. “Self-doubt inside a government is pernicious in a moment like this.”

Merz had been largely expected to win on the first ballot, and the dissenters did not identify themselves.

But based on the makeup of parliament, there appeared to be more than a dozen of them from within Merz’s party, the center-right Christian Democrats; its sister party, the Christian Social Union; and their coalition partner, the center-left Social Democrats. The three parties hold 328 seats, with 316 needed for a majority.

The coalition rallied behind Merz in the afternoon, with members warning of dire consequences if there were further delay. He picked up 15 additional votes in the second round, more than enough to secure the job.

“It is important that Germany gets a stable government, that we can very quickly start working within reliable structures, and that we work to ensure that this country is strong and well governed,” Lars Klingbeil of the Social Democrats, Germany’s new vice chancellor, told reporters.