More proof that Germany is experiencing a political crisis. For the first time since the World War II, the Chancellery candidate Friedrich Merz failed to be elected in the first round by the German parliament. It has never happened since the establishment of a federal chancellery in 1949.
Merz, 69, who led CDU conservatives at the head in the federal elections last February (with 28.5 % of the vote), then signed a coalition agreement with the social democrats on the left left (SPD, 16.4 %) on Monday, only obtained 310 votes in the Bundestag, the lower room of Parliament. Six votes missed him to reach the absolute majority. At least 18 deputies of the coalition did not argue it. Nine deputies were absent, three abstained and a vote was declared invalid, while 307 voted against Merz, said the president of the Bundestag, Julia Klöckner.
Merz, visibly shocked, got up to talk to his colleagues. Klöckner postponed the session to allow parties to consult.
After reflection, all the Bundestag political groups, apart from The extreme rightagreed to “proceed in a second round at 3:15 pm,” said conservative group Jens Spahn. In the event of a new failure, the Bundestag has 14 days to elect Merz or another chancellor.
Although Merz has almost the certainty of being designated, this failure can only attack the legitimacy of the one who promised to get Germany out of the crisis, while the economy is confronted with its third year of slowdownand to give it back his leading position on the international scene.
In the immediate future, his setback could lead to the cancellation of his journeys scheduled for tomorrow Wednesday in France And in Poland as a new chancellor.
