Merz chosen as chancellor of Germany
Friedrich Merz is Germany’s new chancellor after receiving the required majority in the second vote in the Bundestag.
The German conservative Merz was sworn in as Chancellor to President Frank-Walter Steinmeier today.
Mertz, 69, was elected chancellor of the second vote in the Bundestag.
Merz voted 325 out of 630 lawmakers, and his election required 316 votes. The voting was attended by 618 lawmakers, of which 289 lawmakers voted against Merz, one voted « abstained » and three invalid votes.
Mertz is the first candidate for Chancellor to not voted in the first vote in post -war German history.
His new coalition consisting of its Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union (CSU) only in Bavaria and the Centrolevel Social Democratic Party (SPD)-has 328 seats, and in the first vote of Merz has received only 310 lawmakers.
Merz will replace Olaf Holz, whose tripartite coalition collapsed in November last year, organizing early parliamentary elections. After weeks of negotiations, the Conservatives and the SPD concluded a coalition agreement that was approved by all three parties and was formally signed in Berlin yesterday
Leader of CDU/CSU conservatives, Merz is 10th chancellor of Germany after World War II.
