CDU Chief Friedrich Merz fails to win election for Federal Chancellor in first round. Merz received 310 yes votes on Tuesday morning, 307 members voted against him and three abstained. One vote was invalid and nine votes were not cast. To win the election, Merz needed the support of a majority of Bundestag members, a so-called “chancellor majority” of 316 votes. The CDU/CSU and SPD coalition together has 328 members.
Now, the Bundestag factions will discuss the next steps. The Bundestag has fourteen days to elect a Federal Chancellor with more than half of its members. If an election within this period does not take place, a new election must be held immediately, in which the person with the most votes is elected, according to the provisions of the Basic Law.
Numerous prominent figures were in the audience at the Bundestag, including former Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), former Bundestag President Rita Süssmuth (CDU), outgoing Finance Minister Jörg Kukies (SPD), numerous state ministers, climate activist Luisa Neubauer and astronaut Alexander Gerst, who attended the election. The family of the potential future Federal Chancellor also found seats in the audience.
Originally, it was planned that Merz would take the oath of office as Federal Chancellor around 12:00 after a successful election. Following this, the designated ministers would receive their appointment certificates and their oath of office was scheduled for 13:35. The change of ministers was planned to begin at 14:30 and the handover of the Federal Chancellor’s office was scheduled for 15:00.