“Friedrich Merz wanted to write the story. He did this, this memorable Tuesday morning, but in the worst way,” said the German daily The time. The newspaper even describes as “total shame” the historic camouflet inflicted on Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who failed to be elected Chancellor in the first round of the ballot by the German deputies. He was finally appointed after a second round.
A “shame”, because Germany has been evolving for six months without real government, even though Donald Trump “plays with Ukraine and European security”, while operating back and forth on customs duties. And that despite all this, the German deputies were slow to appoint a chancellor and his government, criticizes the newspaper. The expectations of Europeans towards the next German Chancellor were all the higher in this context of political and economic uncertainty.
The vote of a handful of dissidents of the coalition – whose identity is not known, since the ballot is secret – against Friedrich Merz is thus “irresponsible”, judge Frankfurter general. Didn’t some deputies understand the challenges of the ballot? even wonders everyday life. Germany urgently needs a stable and functional government, and this Tuesday vote only delayed and weaken its installation, underline several newspapers.
“Merz is a weakened chancellor”
“Disaster to the Bundestag”, “a debacle” or even a “drama” for the country … The powerful formulas used by the German media reflect the extent of the political shock caused by this vote. This vote should have only been a formality, in a political system where a single post-war chancellor never failed to be elected by the deputies in the first round. Because even if Friedrich Merz was finally appointed German leader, “the damage is already huge”, analyzes the Süddeutsche Zeitung. “His mandate is already historic, because his own coalition did not, from the start, granted his confidence,” continues the newspaper. Friedrich Merz only obtained 310 votes out of 621 expressed, but it took him 316 to be elected. And on all the forces of his coalition, which brings together the conservatives of the CDU and the SPD’s Social Democrats, he missed 18 votes.
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-Voting is not only a setback for Friedrich Merz. It is also for “all the management organs of the SPD and the CDU which worked for the coalition”, completes the Frankfurter Allgemeine, which title on a “worse scenario possible from the first day”. In addition, the SPD and the CDU accuse each other of having failed the election in the first round, making a feeling of distrust grow in between the parties.
In short, the evil is done. “Merz is now considered a weakened chancellor, without a stable alliance – and his popularity rating was not already good” concludes The mirror. The magazine is also concerned about the reputation of Germany on the international level. “Donald Trump has a way of qualifying people who fail with their own supporters: losers“, mocks the Spiegel.
Successfully succeed in keeping AFD away
The situation is all the more worrying since the far-right AFD (Alternative Für Deutschland) party is in ambush behind the newly formed coalition: after having obtained 20 % of the votes in the legislative elections, it is now in the elbow with the conservatives of the CDU in the last surveys.
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However, the success of the coalition between the SPD and the CDU is the last chance to avoid an AFD victory in the next legislative elections, warns the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The two parties have already made a false departure.
