Germany's Merz becomes chancellor after surviving historic vote failure
www.bbc.com
The conservative leader is sworn in, having won a parliament vote to become chancellor at the second attempt.

Germany’s conservative leader has unexpectedly fallen short of the numbers needed to form a majority in parliament to become chancellor.

Friedrich Merz needed 316 votes in the 630-seat Bundestag but only secured 310, in a significant blow to the Christian Democrat leader, two and a half months after winning Germany’s federal elections.

Two and a half months, they weren’t joking about slow German bureaucracy 😱

  • alltheweird@lemm.eeEnglish
    10·
    3 days ago

    The parliament has 14 days to try and get a different (or the same) person elected with the total majority (>50% of votes). If they can not get a person elected with more than 50% of the votes during those 2 weeks they then can elect a person with a relative majority. Since Merz was only short a couple votes they will probably still elect him and this was just a demonstration of power from the SPD since they barely have the 50% in the parliament if both parties combine their votes.