Skip next section Merz takes oath of office
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
Merz takes oath of office
Friedrich Merz has taken the oath of office in the German parliament.
“I swear that I will dedicate my efforts to the well-being of the German people, promote their welfare, protect them from harm, uphold and defend the Basic Law and the laws of the Federation, perform my duties conscientiously and do justice to all.”
Merz, who is Catholic, ended the oath with “So help me God” — an optional phrase in the oath taken by new German chancellors, not used by Merz’s predecessor Olaf Scholz.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u0h3
Skip next section DW’s Rosalia Romaniec: Merz given ‘a wake-up call’05/06/2025May 6, 2025
DW’s Rosalia Romaniec: Merz given ‘a wake-up call’
After Friedrich Merz managed to secure a parlimentary majority for his new government, DW’s Berlin Bureau Chief Rosalia Romaniec warns that the new chancellor is still weakened by the failed vote earlier today.
“Friedrich Merz begins his chancellorship with a wake-up call. After an unexpected defeat in the first voting round, he would do well to reflect on why. The same applies to his coalition partner and future Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD). Both now need to work even harder to win over support from within their own camps on difficult issues — that’s the prevailing assessment heard today in the Bundestag.
It’s hardly the ideal start for the new government in what many consider difficult times. The coalition has laid out an ambitious plan and is under pressure both domestically and internationally.
Friedrich Merz knows he must deliver quickly. And he will be aware that he is starting in a weakened position. That makes the first days and weeks all the more important after this bumpy start. But if more stumbles occur, the hope for a (finally) stable German government would take a serious hit. That would not be good for Germany or for Europe, because this time, a great deal is at stake.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4u0gf
Skip next section Macron hopes for stronger Franco-German partnership with Merz
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
Macron hopes for stronger Franco-German partnership with Merz
French President expressed hope that the Franco-German ties would be strengthened under Merz.
Macron and former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and their governments disagreed on several important issues.
However, in a message posted on social media, Macron stressed that collaboration between Paris and Berlin was crucial for all Europeans.
“It’s up to us to speed up our European agenda of sovereignty, security, and competitiveness,” Macron wrote.
Merz is scheduled to meet with Macron and Polish Prime Minister on Wednesday.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u0bw
Skip next section What happens now?
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
What happens now?
Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz will next be sworn in before the Bundestag.
Then, Merz will take his new Cabinet to the residence of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to receive their official certificates of appointment. The German president has limited powers in day-to-day politics, but plays an essential role in the official process of ushering in a new government.
The ministers will then travel back to the Bundestag to be sworn in.
The practical handover of power from outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz to his successor is scheduled later at the chancellery.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u0VL
Skip next section Zelenskyy welcomes Merz as Germany’s new chancellor
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
Zelenskyy welcomes Merz as Germany’s new chancellor
Ukrainian President was one of the first leaders to congratulate Friedrich Merz on becoming Germany’s new chancellor.
He expressed hope that Germany, under Merz’s leadership, would “grow even stronger and that we’ll see more German leadership in European and transatlantic affairs.”
“This is especially important with the future of Europe at stake — and it will depend on our unity,” Zelenskyy wrote in an online post.
Merz has regularly voiced his support for Ukraine in its battle against the .
The new German leader has also stated he was open to delivering German Taurus missiles to Ukraine, provided the move was done in coordination with European partners. These missiles would allow Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russian territory.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u0VN
Skip next section German president officially appoints Merz chancellor
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
German president officially appoints Merz chancellor
At his official residence, Berlin’s Bellevue Palace, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has officially appointed conservative leader Friedrich Merz as the successor to left-leaning Olaf Scholz.
“Mr. Chancellor, slightly late, but all the more heartfelt, congratulations on your election and, from me, I wish you every success in everything that lies ahead,” Steinmeier told Merz after he was elected in a second round of voting in the Bundestag.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u0Lb
Skip next section EU chief Ursula von der Leyen offers congratulations to Merz
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen offers congratulations to Merz
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has congratulated Friedrich Merz on his election as chancellor.
“I look forward to close cooperation,” von der Leyen wrote on Tuesday in the online platform Bluesky. “We will work together for a strong and more competitive Europe.”
German conservative von der Leyen, who served first as Minister of Family Affairs and later as Minister of Defense under Angela Merkel, called Merz a “proven friend and expert on Europe.”
At the European People’s Party congress in Valencia last week, Merz assured von der Leyen of the support of the new German government.
EU Council President Antonio Costa also expressed his “warm congratulations” to Merz on his election. “I look forward to our cooperation on an ambitious common European agenda,” Costa wrote on the online service X.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u0LB
Skip next section Merz elected chancellor in second round of voting
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
Merz elected chancellor in second round of voting
German conservative leader Friedrich Merz has been elected chancellor in a second round of voting after a dramatic day in Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.
A total of 325 lawmakers voted in favor of Merz this time around, bringing him over the necessary 316 threshold.
Asked by Bundestag President Julia Klöckner whether he accepted the result and role, Merz replied: “Madam President, I thank you for your trust and I accept the election.”
Earlier, the 69-year-old became the first presumptive chancellor to fail in the first round of voting, a unique event in Germany. With 310 yes votes, he was six votes short of a chancellor majority.
He becomes Germany’s tenth postwar and the Christian Democrats’ sixth holder of the post.
https://p.dw.com/p/4u0CQ
Skip next section German lawmakers start second round vote after Merz debacle
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
German lawmakers start second round vote after Merz debacle
Voting is underway once again in Germany’s Bundestag for a second round in the election of Friedrich Merz as chancellor.
All parliamentary groups voted in favor of a corresponding procedural motion on Tuesday afternoon, as announced by Bundestag President Julia Klöckner.
CDU leader Merz had failed in the first round of the chancellor election earlier in the day — an unprecedented event in Germany’s postwar history.
Klöckner opened the second round of voting after the procedural motion was passed. This, too, will be held by secret ballot and Merz again needs a so-called chancellor majority of 316 of the 630 members of the Bundestag.
In the first round, only 310 members voted for Merz. The conservative CDU-CSU bloc and its center-left Social Democrat coalition partners together have a mathematically sufficient majority of 328 members of parliament, which is a sufficient majority. However, the secrecy of the ballot makes it hard to pinpoint dissenters within the new ruling coalition.
The had earlier joined other parties in saying it supported a second round of voting.
“Germany needs a government now — we will not prevent that,” assured the parliamentary manager of the AfD parliamentary group, Bernd Baumann, during a debate on the rules of procedure in the plenary session.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tztC
Skip next section AfD says Merz’s government will be ‘unstable’
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
AfD says Merz’s government will be ‘unstable’
Before the second round of voting for the new German chancellor, the first secretary of the AfD’s parliamentary group, Bernd Baumann, said that CDU leader Friedirch Merz “failed” and suffered “a historical defeat” in the first round of voting.
Baumann said that AfD approves the second round, but “this government is beginning in a very unstable manner and it will remain unstable.”
He also stressed that his party is “available for any sensible response for the problems of the country.”
Far-right is “firewalled” be the mainstream German parties, meaning they do not invite it to form coalitions or cooperate with it.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzs1
Skip next section Merz vote: Second round about to begin
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
Merz vote: Second round about to begin
Friedrich Merz has entered Bundestag for a second round of voting, with videos showing Merz walking into the chamber before lawmakers address the assembly.
The failed vote this morning threw Berlin’s governing district into disarray, with Jens Spahn, the head of CDU/CSU group, saying he held talks with all parliamentary groups following the vote, including the opposition Greens and the Left Party.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzkr
Skip next section DW’s Rosalia Romaniec: ‘Behind the scenes, the shock is deep’05/06/2025May 6, 2025
DW’s Rosalia Romaniec: ‘Behind the scenes, the shock is deep’
DW’s Bureau Berlin Chief Rosalia Romaniec gives a peek behind the curtain after the failed chancellor vote.
“Friedrich Merz cannot afford a second defeat. Even the first is historic — because there has never been anything like it. The word ‘national crisis’ is already being used in some commentaries, even though it actually needs more than that. If the CDU/CSU have their way, they want to get the second round of voting over with as soon as possible — assuming, of course, that they are sure of their own votes this time.
Behind the scenes, the shock is deep. Speaking to CDU/CSU and SPD politicians, you hear them trying to calm things down: they speak of ‘the nature of democracy,’ and call the dissenters ‘just people who perhaps have their own reasons.’ In other words: it’s not a big deal, they say in background conversations with members of the Bundestag. You can hear the nervousness much more strongly in the official statements.
The other parties are looking on more or less gleefully. Not even the Greens want to help Merz get elected — say the party’s leading politicians. Germany needs a stable government and the two coalition partners must have the strength on their own, otherwise they will not be able to govern. The argument is logical for the moment. But nobody wants to think about the time afterward. And most people are also avoiding questions about political responsibility and the consequences behind the scenes.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzXx
Skip next section WATCH: Friedrich Merz ‘a very divisive person’, says Jan van Aken
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
WATCH: Friedrich Merz ‘a very divisive person’, says Jan van Aken
Jan van Aken, co-leader of Germany’s Left Party, thinks Germany’s government-to-be would be well-advised to find a new person to lead the new government.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzWj
Skip next section Merz tees up second round to be Germany’s chancellor — what we know so far05/06/2025May 6, 2025
Merz tees up second round to be Germany’s chancellor — what we know so far
Thank you for reading and welcome once again to our blog, with the latest updates out of Berlin confirming that German lawmakers will be voting again this afternoon.
Friedrich Merz was widely tipped to be the chancellor after a vote by lawmakers this morning, but he only received 310 votes, still short of the 316 votes he needs to be elected chancellor.
According to German law, the Bundestag, in this case, must vote in either Merz or another candidate in the next 14 days. If that fails, Germany’s Basic Law predicts new election as one possible option.
More to follow.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzIi
Skip next section CDU’s Spahn says vote to take place imminently
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
CDU’s Spahn says vote to take place imminently
Senior Christian Democrat Jens Spahn has now said a second vote on Friedrich Merz becoming chancellor is set to take place at 3.15 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
He said the conservative CDU/CSU bloc would put forward Merz again as its nomination for chancellor.
“We will be able to proceed with a second round today at 3:15 pm (1315 GMT),” said Spahn, the leader of the bloc’s parliamentary group.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tzPk
The post Bundestag elects Merz as German chancellor in 2nd vote appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
