Friedrich Merz elected German Chancellor in the second round after an unprecedented failure in the first

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier officially appointed, Tuesday, May 6, Friedrich Merz Chancellor, after his election in the second round by the Bundestag deputies with 325 votes out of a total of 630 deputies. Two and a half months after his victory in the legislative elections, the conservative chief succeeds Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, at the head of a coalition government appointed for four years.

In the early evening, in the wake of his appointment, Mr. Merz assured wanting “Do everything” pour “Regain confidence” Current voters of the alternative far right party for Germany, AFD, in full swing and now the first opposition group in the Bundestag. In his first television interview, on the Ard channel, he also stressed that with a possible procedure for prohibiting this party, recently classified as “Right’s extremist” by intelligence services, the ” issue “ substantial would not be “Not resolved”.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, “Felicity” Mr. Merz for his election and hoped to see “More German leadership” on the old continent and in relations with the United States, “While the future of Europe is at stake”.

For her part, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, praised a “Connoisseur of Europe”. “Together, we will work for a strong and more competitive Europe”she said on social network X. “I am delighted with our collaboration on an ambitious common European agenda”added the chairman of the council, Antonio Costa.

In the process, Emmanuel Macron gave ” appointment “ to Mr. Merz Wednesday in Paris for “Make the engine and the Franco-German reflex stronger than ever”. “We are accelerating on our European agenda of sovereignty, security and competitiveness. For the French, for the Germans and for all Europeans ”said the French president on X.

“We congratulate Friedrich Merz for his election as a chancellor in Germany “Said Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson for the US State Department, in a short declaration. “” We will continue to work with Germany and its next government to ensure the security of the United States and Europe. »»

To everyone’s surprise, Mr. Merz had failed, Tuesday morning, to be elected by the deputies, while he had on the paper of a sufficient majority of the elected officials of his camp and the social democrats. He had only obtained 310 votes out of 621 expressed and 630 deputies in total, according to the president of the Bundestag, the German parliament – he had to have 316 to be elected.

A false departure

Never in the post-war history of the Federal Republic of Germany A Chancellor candidate thus failed to be elected in the first round, arousing the reactions of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). “I hope we have [mardi] evening a chancellor called Friedrich Merz »said the secretary general of the CDU earlier, Carsten Linnemann, at German televisions, Phoenix and NTV. On X, the CDU had called for a second round ” quickly “ensuring Mr. Merz for the support of the parliamentary group and claiming that the latter had received “A ovation” during a group meeting.

It is a false departure for the winner of the February legislative elections, expected with hope in Europe. It illustrates its immediately fragile political position. It is not very popular in opinion and disputed in part of its own conservative camp for recently softening the very strict national rules in terms of public deficit, in order to be able to finance its program of national reset and modernization of the country.

“Not received”immediately reacted the popular newspaper Bildcomparing him to a student going on an exam. The far -right AFD party took the opportunity to claim new legislative elections. “We are ready to assume government responsibility (…). Mr. Merz should resign immediately and the way should be open to new elections in our country ”said Alice Weidel, a co -director of this party who came second in the legislative elections of February 23 and who is currently playing equal in the polls with the conservatives.