Merz fails to secure majority in Bundestag vote for German chancellor

BERLIN -- Friedrich Merz, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)'s candidate for German chancellor, failed to secure the required majority in Tuesday's Bundestag vote, falling six votes short of the 316 needed to be elected chancellor.

Merz received 310 votes in the secret ballot. A total of 621 out of 630 members of the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, cast their votes, one of which was invalid.

Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner interrupted the plenary session after the voting results were announced.

The discussions of parliamentary groups are still ongoing. It is still unclear when the second round of voting will take place.

The day before, the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), had formally signed a coalition agreement with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The CDU/CSU and the SPD had also successively announced their cabinet lists.

During the coalition negotiations, Merz had repeatedly emphasized his hope to quickly end the protracted political stalemate, reverse the economic decline, and reassert Germany's influence on international affairs as a majority government.

However, the failure in Tuesday's vote means Merz became the first chancellor candidate since World War II to fail to be elected in the first round.

According to the German Basic Law, the Bundestag can hold a second round of voting within 14 days to elect a chancellor by an absolute majority of its members.