The New York Times
Friedrich Merz Becomes Germany’s Leader After Unexpected Day of Drama
Mr. Merz needed two rounds of voting to become chancellor after a
surprising defeat in Parliament hours earlier that threatened to hobble his new government.
May 6, 2025
Updated 3:37 p.m. ET
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Jim TankersleyChristopher F. SchuetzeMelissa Eddy and Clay RisenReporting from Berlin
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Friedrich Merz won a second-chance vote to become Germany’s chancellor on Tuesday afternoon, rebounding from a morning defeat in Parliament that threatened to hobble the next government before it was sworn into office.
Mr. Merz immediately began the ceremonial tasks of assuming the country’s top leadership post, which were delayed half a day by the events in Parliament, and he and his cabinet were sworn in after meeting with Germany’s president. On Wednesday, Mr. Merz is set to travel to Paris and Warsaw to meet with key allies.
The vote was a relief for Mr. Merz, 69, the leader of the center-right Christian Democrats, which finished first in national elections in February.
He had fallen six votes short of the chancellery in the initial vote on Tuesday morning, a surprising and demoralizing setback. It was the first time a chancellor candidate had failed to win in the first round of voting since the founding of modern Germany.
Rival parties agreed on Tuesday afternoon to allow Mr. Merz a second chance at the job on an accelerated timetable, with many saying they were concerned for the stability of the country at a critical time for Germany and Europe. But other parties also said the initial defeat had hurt Mr. Merz and exposed the weakness of his coalition with the center-left Social Democrats.
“This government starts out in extreme instability,” said Bernd Baumann, a representative from the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, in a speech shortly before the vote. “And it will remain unstable. That is the opposite of what Germany needs.”
German stocks had slid on the news of the first vote, with economists warning it could be an ominous sign for Mr. Merz’s agenda to revitalize growth in Europe’s biggest economy. Germany’s blue chip index fell, led by drops in defense and energy companies that stood to benefit from the future government’s planned investment programs.
In the first, secret ballot, Mr. Merz was six votes short of a 316-vote majority, and the identity of the holdouts was unclear. In the vote, 307 lawmakers voted against Mr. Merz and nine abstained. The opposition has 302 votes, suggesting that some in Mr. Merz’s coalition had opposed him.
But Mr. Merz’s coalition rallied behind him in the afternoon, with members warning of dire consequences from further delay. He received 325 votes in the second round.
“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, who is expected to become Germany’s next vice chancellor, told reporters.
Here’s what else to know:
Previous stumbles: It was not the first time this year that Mr. Merz had lost a high-profile vote in embarrassing fashion. In January, he stirred controversy — and nationwide protests — by forcing a vote on tough new immigration restrictions. He broke a political taboo in the process, by trying to pass the measures with the help of the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD. But the final vote failed, after many lawmakers from Mr. Merz’s own party rebelled.
German far right: The AfD finished second in the February elections, though no other German party will work with it. It has since been classified as far-right extremist by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency. After Mr. Merz lost the vote on Tuesday, the AfD’s chancellor candidate, Alice Weidel, called for new elections — a call that will almost certainly be ignored.
Relations with Europe: On Wednesday, Mr. Merz had scheduled visits to Paris and Warsaw to meet with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, demonstrating a commitment to two key alliances on what will be his first full day as chancellor.
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Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 1:19 p.m. ET3 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Parliament is suspended for the day. Germany has a new government. Merz now heads over the chancellery for the first time as chancellor; after that, he will preside over his first cabinet meeting, which is scheduled for 10 p.m. local time in Berlin. In the end, failure to win the post in the first vote -- a first for a candidate for chancellor in modern Germany -- has only cost a couple of hours and a lot of nerves. Many feared it could have been worse.
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 1:07 p.m. ET3 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Parliament has resumed one last time today. Julia Klöckner, the body’s president, is reading out the names of the cabinet to applause from lawmakers who are part of the governing coalition of the new chancellor, Friedrich Merz.
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 12:30 p.m. ET4 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
After handing out nomination documents to Merz’s slate of 17 ministers, the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeir, gave a short speech wishing them luck. The ministers then got back into their cars to head back to Parliament to be sworn in.
Clay Risen
May 6, 2025, 12:28 p.m. ET4 hours ago
Clay RisenReporting from Berlin
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president since 2017, is a former leader of the Social Democrats who in 2009 led his party to a resounding loss to Angela Merkel and the Christian Democrats. He is now Germany’s head of state, in charge of officially approving the new government of Friedrich Merz.
Clay Risen
May 6, 2025, 12:15 p.m. ET4 hours ago
Clay RisenReporting from Berlin
Olaf Scholz, the now former chancellor of Germany, has been a symbol of stability during today’s hectic voting, insisting that the transfer of power to his successor happen quickly and smoothly. The process, Scholz said in his farewell address on Monday night, was an “expression of democratic normality.” He was among the first to shake hands with Merz after today’s second vote confirmed his election as chancellor.
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 12:14 p.m. ET4 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Merz’s cabinet is now holding a meeting with President Steinmeier, where they will receive their nomination documents.
Clay Risen
May 6, 2025, 11:39 a.m. ET5 hours ago
Clay RisenReporting from Berlin
As Friedrich Merz took the oath of office as Germany’s chancellor on Tuesday, congratulatory messages arrived from the leaders of Ukraine and France, two men with whom he will be working closely over the coming year. “We sincerely hope that Germany will grow even stronger and that we’ll see more German leadership in European and transatlantic affairs,” wrote President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine on X. “This is especially important with the future of Europe at stake — and it will depend on our unity.” President Emmanuel Macron of France added, in his own message on X, “It’s up to us to push forward our European agenda for sovereignty, security, and competitiveness. For the French, the Germans, and all Europeans.”
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 11:38 a.m. ET5 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Parliament is suspended once more so that Merz and his ministers can be driven across the park to pick up their nomination documents from the President.
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 11:34 a.m. ET5 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Holding up his right hand, Merz takes the oath of office. He is now officially the 10th chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
May 6, 2025, 11:34 a.m. ET5 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Parliament is back in session. Julia Klöckner, the president of Germany’s Parliament, puts on a pair of white gloves to be able to hold the original copy of the country’s basic law — a 76-year-old document — in preparation.
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 11:04 a.m. ET5 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
A large German flag has been brought into Parliament; Merz’s swearing-in will take place in front of it.
Melissa Eddy
May 6, 2025, 10:53 a.m. ET5 hours ago
Melissa EddyReporting from Berlin
German businesses and investors breathed a collective sigh of relief after Merz succeeded in being elected chancellor in a second round of voting in Parliament. The country’s leading stock index recovered much of the ground it lost after the initial, failed, vote and economists expressed confidence that if the new government moves forward swiftly and decisively with its planned program of investments, the damage will be limited. “As long as the new government now quickly implements its 100-day program with the urgently needed relief for the German economy, the fact that it took two attempts to elect the chancellor will quickly fade into the background,” said Marion Muehlberger, an economist at Deutsche Bank Research.
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 10:52 a.m. ET5 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
In a very brief ceremony, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany handed Merz his official nomination document. Now Merz heads back to Parliament to be sworn in.
May 6, 2025, 10:42 a.m. ET6 hours ago
Clay RisenReporting from Berlin
Today’s unexpected drama in the Parliament, or Bundestag, had politicians across Europe concerned about what Merz’s stumble might mean for a continent that is increasingly looking to Germany for economic and political leadership. “Naturally we need a strong government in Berlin,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said in an interview with the German broadcaster Phoenix. “What happens in German politics, but also in its economy, has an impact on all European countries.”
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 10:40 a.m. ET6 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Merz has arrived at Bellevue Palace, Germany’s presidential residence, in a black Mercedes limousine. He will sign the guest book and speak with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, before receiving his official nomination document bound in a black leather envelope.
Image
Credit...Pool photo by Bernd Von Jutrczenka
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 10:38 a.m. ET6 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Now that Merz has passed this second vote, he drives to meet Germany’s president to receive official papers and then heads back to parliament to be sworn in. Then he presents his slate of ministers, who also have to meet with the president to pick up their papers, before returning to be sworn in.
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 10:21 a.m. ET6 hours ago
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Lawmakers are lining up to congratulate Friedrich Merz on the floor of Parliament. Among the first are a number of Green Party members seated close to him when the vote was called.
Video
CreditCredit...German Parliament via Reuters
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 10:16 a.m. ETMay 6, 2025
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Friedrich Merz has been elected chancellor after a second round of voting in Germany’s Parliament.
Video
CreditCredit...German Parliament via Reuters
Clay Risen
May 6, 2025, 10:04 a.m. ETMay 6, 2025
Clay RisenReporting from Berlin
Sitting at a cafe near the Spree River in Berlin, Heike Albricht and Ariana Heussler, two bank workers, said they found Merz’s failure to win the first vote dispiriting but predictable. “The parties have been focused on fighting each other for three years,” Heussler said. “It sends a bad signal to the world.” Hamudi Kafri, a caterer, said he was disappointed in Merz, but also blamed his enemies in the Bundestag for the failed vote. “After the last government, everyone was skeptical,” he said during a break outside his office. “Those behind the scenes did not want him to take charge.”
Jim Tankersley
May 6, 2025, 9:41 a.m. ETMay 6, 2025
Jim TankersleyReporting from Berlin
The second round of voting is underway. Some 42,000 people are currently watching the official livestream of the vote from the German Bundestag.
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 9:30 a.m. ETMay 6, 2025
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Parliament is back in session. Lawmakers have taken their places and are getting ready for the second secret ballot to decide whether Friedrich Merz will become the country’s new chancellor.
Image
Credit...Fabrizio Bensch, via Reuters
Christopher F. Schuetze
May 6, 2025, 9:23 a.m. ETMay 6, 2025
Christopher F. SchuetzeReporting from Berlin
Merz’s stumble could offer the far-right AfD party an opportunity.
Image
Two people stand in front of microphones.
Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the joint leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, demanded that Friedrich Merz resign minutes after he failed a parliamentary vote.Credit...Ralf Hirschberger/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Minutes after Friedrich Merz lost a first parliamentary vote needed to become chancellor on Tuesday morning, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the joint leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, demanded that Mr. Merz resign and fresh elections be held.
“It is a good day for Germany,” Mr. Chrupalla told reporters. But he and Ms. Weidel are among a small minority in political circles in Berlin who feel that way.
Though a second parliamentary vote for chancellor is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, the uncertainty that resulted will likely benefit the populist AfD. The party has long campaigned on the claim that mainstream parties no longer govern to help the people.
Tuesday’s mess could make that point for them. Ever since Mr. Merz and his center-right Christian Democrats won the national election in February, the AfD’s poll numbers have risen as voters take issue with the compromises that the Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats have made to work together as coalition partners. The AfD won 20.8 percent of the vote in February, but the party now polls at around 25 percent, sometimes more than the Christian Democrats.
This potential boost for the AfD comes days after Germany’s domestic intelligence agency labeled the party extremist, which has reinvigorated a debate about whether it should be banned outright.
All parties, including the AfD, know that if Mr. Merz does not win the required votes to become chancellor in subsequent votes (there is no limit on how many can take place), Germany’s President will call new elections. That would likely benefit the AfD.
Melissa Eddy
May 6, 2025, 8:55 a.m. ETMay 6, 2025
Melissa EddyReporting from Berlin
What the setback for Merz means for the German economy.
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People can be seen in a brightly colored shopping center.
A shopping center in Berlin last month. Companies were looking for a new government to revive growth in Europe’s biggest economy.Credit...Patrick Junker for The New York Times
German businesses had been counting on Friedrich Merz and his new coalition with the Social Democrats to reinstate two elements they had been missing under the previous government: stability and predictability.
Instead, Mr. Merz failed to win enough support to become chancellor in the first round of voting in Parliament. The shock decision sent stocks tumbling and raised questions about the ability of the next government to revive growth in Europe’s biggest economy.
Last month, the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz scaled back its growth forecasts for the country, which is now expected to remain stagnant for a third consecutive year. President Trump’s tariffs are hurting Germany’s export-oriented economy and many businesses were looking to the Mr. Merz’s planned investment in infrastructure and defense for relief.
“This will undermine business trust in Mr. Merz,” said Carsten Brzeski, chief eurozone economist at ING bank.
German stocks slid on the news, with the country’s benchmark index down more than 1.6 percent before paring some of those losses. Shares in German defense and energy companies that had been attracting investors eager to cash in on the billions the coalition planned to spend on the military were hardest hit.
In March, Mr. Merz secured support from Parliament to ease a limit on government borrowing. The agreement also included backing for hundreds of billions of euros to invest in the country’s crumbling infrastructure that the new government had pledged to begin distributing within weeks of its election.
“Everybody was looking forward to having a stable government to start enacting the necessary reforms in an increasingly unstable political environment,” said Robert Gold, an economist at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. “But the Parliament’s decision today just added uncertainty.”
But Mr. Gold said that if Mr. Merz were to be elected in a second round, it would not leave lasting damage. “I think this can easily be healed,” he said.
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Jim Tankersley
May 6, 2025, 8:41 a.m. ET
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