What follows for Germany after the historical failure of the future Chancellor Merz

The failure of Friedrich Mertz on Tuesday to win the necessary absolute majority in parliament to be elected Chancellor of Germany, leaves him with weakened positions, but still unbeaten.

What provides for the procedure for choosing a heir to the withdrawal Chancellor Olaf Scholz:

First attempt

Article 63 of the German Constitution states that in order to become Chancellor, the candidate of the first round must win an absolute majority in the Bundestag (the lower house). Mertz won 310 votes, less than 316 (of all MPs, not just from the session present-ed.), Which represent an absolute majority in the chamber of 630 members.

Together, his conservative block CDU/CSU and the Social Democrats, his planned coalition partners, should receive 328 votes. In other words, 18 members of his planned ruling majority failed to vote for him.

Before Merz, no chancellor in post -war history had failed in providing parliament support from the first attempt.

Subsequent vote

Parliament now has 14 days to choose a chancellor on the same system.

The Frankfurt Algemeine Zeitung reported that there would be no other experience on Tuesday, and several legislators confirmed that this was their understanding.

Bodo Ramelov, deputy chairman of the German Bundestag, called on Tuesday the fraction of his left-wing party to support the rapid convening of a new parliamentary session after the surprising failure of the conservative candidate Friedrich Merz of the vote for the Chancellor post. « We hope this session will be held tomorrow, » Ramelov told the Phoenix television operator.

Parliamentary arithmetic

In principle, alternative candidates can be proposed at any stage, but the parliamentary arithmetic means that the Conservatives and the Social Democratic Party are the only two -party block that can command a majority without the far -right « alternative to Germany ».

The offering of another candidate would probably require extensive renegotiation, possibly with the participation of a third party such as the Greens who would want their own discounts. Sharing power with AFD is a taboo for established parties.

Mertz, who allowed anti -immigration resolution to be accepted with the support of AFD before the election, is unlikely to want to start his term, relying to support a party that he promised to avoid and who was officially designated this week as a « right -wing ».

If everything else failed

If, after 14 days, Merz still fails to win a definite majority, he can be selected in a new circle by a simple majority of the voters (ie, a party may leave the meeting to lower the chancer – ed.).

At this stage, Mertz would be sure he would win, but only if after a heavy series of lost votes he managed to maintain the support he had at the beginning.

Until the impasse is allowed, Scholz remains in office as acting Chancellor.