In Germany, the Curator Friedrich Merz fails to be elected Chancellor in the first round, an unprecedented reverse – Liberation

General surprise across the Rhine. Curator Friedrich Merz failed this Tuesday, May 6 to be elected Chancellor in the first round by the deputies, While he could on paper have a sufficient majority of elected officials from his camp and the social democrats with whom he intends to govern in coalition. Olaf Scholz remains in office as acting president.

The Christian Democratic only obtained 310 votes out of 621 expressed and 630 deputies in total, announced the president of the Bundestag. It would have taken him 316 to be elected. In the new Bundestag, conservatives and social democrats have a total of 328 votes. But the head of the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) did not refuel in these two camps, which had sealed their government coalition agreement on Monday.

Never in the post-war history of the Federal Republic of Germany A Chancellor candidate thus failed to be elected in the first round.

Friedrich Merz will now submit to a second voting round, after which, if he did not get an absolute majority again, a relative majority of deputies would be sufficient. If the Christian Democratic candidate obtains this simple majority, he will be in the confirmed stride 10th Chancellor of modern Germany by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who will receive him at the presidential palace of Bellevue.

The German Conservative Party hopes to hold this second round this Tuesday, and currently leads to discussions in this direction with the other parties, according to the secretary general of democratic Christians. « I hope we will have a chancellor called Friedrich Merz tonight », he added. But it is not certain that this second round will be held today. According to information from the newspaper Ziet Onlinethe Bundestag should rather meet again on Friday.

For the time being, it is therefore a false departure for the February winner of the legislative electionsexpected with hope in Europe and which ensures that « Germany is again on the rails ». “The potential chancellor Friedrich Merz is considerably weakened. It is a thunderclap for the whole country ”, reacted Renate Künast, deputy for the Green Party, on the Phoenix television channel. The failure of the first round « Watch how fragile the foundations of this coalition are », for his part exulted the leader of theAFDAlice Weidel. The head of the German far right party said it was ready to « Assume government responsibility », while adding that Friedrich Merz « Should resign immediately » and that « The way should be open to new elections. »

Update at 12:54 p.m. with the declarations of the secretary general of democrats Christians