Following the failure of CDU Chief Friedrich Merz to be elected as the Federal Chancellor in the first round on Tuesday, the second round is not scheduled to take place on the same day. This is because a second round requires a notification period to be followed. The parties have the option to shorten this period. Therefore, the earliest possible date for a second round would be on Wednesday. The reason for the failure was that Merz did not receive the approval of the majority of members of the Bundestag, also known as a “Chancellor majority” of 316 votes. This was unexpected as never before has a designated Chancellor failed to be elected after successful coalition negotiations following a Bundestag election. The planned coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD has a total of 328 members. However, Merz only received 310 votes on Tuesday morning, 307 members voted against him and three abstained. One vote was invalid and nine votes were not cast. The Bundestag now 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, then “immediately” a new election must be held to determine who receives the most votes. Originally, it was planned for Merz to take his oath of office in the afternoon and the designees for ministers to receive their appointment documents and be sworn in. The planned handover of the Chancellorship and the ministries was scheduled for the afternoon. Instead, the governing coalition remains in office. The planned visit to Paris and Warsaw by Merz on Wednesday is also likely to be postponed.
Second Round Delayed
