Friedrich Merz's bid to become Germany's chancellor fails in parliament
in a stunning defeat
[May 06, 2025]
By STEFANIE DAZIO and KIRSTEN GRIESHABER
BERLIN (AP) — In a historic first, conservative leader Friedrich Merz ’s
bid to become Germany’s 10th chancellor since World War II failed by six
votes in parliament on Tuesday, a stunning defeat as he had been widely
expected to win smoothly.
A candidate for chancellor has never failed to win on the first ballot
since the end of the war. The loss triggered a stock market slide: the
DAX, the index of major German companies, was down 1.8% following the
vote.
Merz needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes. He only received 310
votes — well short of the 328 seats held by his coalition. Because the
vote was held by secret ballot, it was not immediately clear — and might
never be known — who had defected from Merz's camp.
Merz's coalition is led by his center-right Christian Democratic Union
and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union. They are
joined by the center-left Social Democrats, outgoing Chancellor Olaf
Scholz’s party. The parties were now to regroup to discuss the next step
but it was also unclear how long the process could take.
Merz is seeking to take the helm of the 27-nation European Union’ s most
populous member after Scholz’s government collapsed last year and a
national election was held in February. Scholz, despite his official
farewell on Monday, remains in a caretaker role until a new chancellor
takes over.
Germany has the continent’s biggest economy and serves as a diplomatic
heavyweight. The new chancellor's portfolio would include the war in
Ukraine and the Trump administration’s trade policy on top of domestic
issues, such as Germany's stagnant economy and the rise of a far-right,
anti-immigrant party.
“The world is in turmoil. Europe needs a strong Germany," Carsten
Linnemann, the secretary-general of the Christian Democrats, told
reporters after Merz's loss. He said a second vote should come soon. "We
can’t wait for days now, we need clarity quickly.”
What's next?
The lower house of parliament — called the Bundestag — has 14 days to
elect a candidate with an absolute majority. Merz can run again, but
other lawmakers can also throw their hat in the ring. There is no limit
to the number of votes that can be held within the two-week period.
If Merz or any other candidate fails to get that majority within the 14
days, the constitution allows for the president to appoint the candidate
who wins the most votes as chancellor, or to dissolve the Bundestag and
hold a new national election.
Johann Wadepuhl, the designated next foreign minister, said he was
confident Merz would ultimately prevail.
“It is an annoying process, but in a parliamentary democracy, in a
liberal country, this is unfortunately one of the scenarios that you
have to be prepared for,” he told reporters.
Volker Resing, who wrote the recent biography “Friedrich Merz: His Path
to Power,” expressed surprise at the turn of events.
“It shows how fragile the coalition’s situation is and that some
lawmakers are prepared to spread uncertainty — that’s a warning signal,”
Resing told The Associated Press.
Resing said that if Merz gets elected in the second round, then
everything will be fine and people may soon forget about this hiccup.
But “for now everything is wide open,” he added.
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Friedrich Merz walks in the plenary after he was not elected new
Chancellor in the first voting process at the parliament Bundestag
in Berlin, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
80th anniversary of World War II
Tuesday's vote was held on the eve of the 80th anniversary of
Germany’s unconditional surrender in World War II. The ballots are
cast in the restored Reichstag, where graffiti left by Soviet troops
has been preserved at several locations in the building.
The shadow of the war in Ukraine also loomed over Tuesday's vote.
Germany is the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine,
after the United States.
Overall, Germany is the fourth largest defense spender in the world,
according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute,
which studies trends in global military expenditures. Only the U.S.,
China and Russia are ahead.
Germany rose to that rank thanks to an investment of 100 billion
euros ($107 billion) for its armed forces, a measure passed by
lawmakers in 2022.
The country’s defense spending rose again earlier this year, when
parliament loosened the nation’s strict debt rules. It's a move
that's been closely watched by the rest of Europe as the Trump
administration has threatened to pull back from its security support
on the continent.
Besides ramping up defense spending, Merz's coalition has pledged to
spur economic growth, take a tougher approach to migration and catch
up on long-neglected modernization..
AfD's rise
Merz’s loss adds to the challenges ahead — whoever is elected
chancellor will face questions about the future of the far-right,
anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party, also known as AfD.
Mainstream German political parties refuse to work with AfD, citing
the so-called “firewall” they’ve upheld against cooperating with
far-right parties since the end of the war.
Alice Weidel, AfD's co-leader and a candidate for chancellor during
the February elections, wrote that Merz’s failure shows that his
coalition has a “weak foundation.”
The AfD is the biggest opposition party in Germany’s new parliament
after it placed second in national elections in February.
Last week, the German domestic intelligence service said it has
classified AfD as a “right-wing extremist” organization, making it
subject to greater and broader surveillance.
The decision by the Federal Office for the Protection of the
Constitution prompted blowback from U.S. Secretary of State Marco
Rubio and U.S. Vice President JD Vance over the weekend. Germany’s
Foreign Ministry hit back at Rubio after he called on the country to
undo the classification.
The domestic intelligence service's measure does not amount to a ban
of the party, which can only take place through a request by either
of parliament’s two chambers or the federal government through the
Federal Constitutional Court.
Merz has not commented publicly on the intelligence service’s
decision.
___
Associated Press videojournalist Fanny Brodersen in Berlin and
writer David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, contributed to this
report.
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