LA tension was read on Friedrich Merz’s face when the president of the Parliament revealed the result of the second vote which finished, in the middle of the afternoon, by opening the doors of the Chancellery to her. She did not have time to decline until the end of the statement of voices that already a thunder of relieved applause rose benches of the CDU/CSU and the SPD. Germany narrowly avoided a dangerous political crisis and a formidable period of uncertainty for Europe and the rest of the world.
Obviously lighter, Friedrich Merz hugged his hands and accepted the accolades of all the deputies before leaving for the Château de Bellevue where President Steinmeier patiently awaited him since this morning to officially appoint him Chancellor. Back under the dome of the Reichstag, he was finally able to take an oath with seven hours late. In stride, The ministers of the new coalition Black (CDU/CSU) and Red (SPD) were also invested.
Read too Thunderbolt in Berlin: Friedrich Merz failed by the deputiesThe smiles of the group photo, at the end of the day, failed to erase the shadow that this monumental hiccup. This day was to be the triumph at the end From the long career of Friedrich Merz. This ambitious is not at its first setback. Discarded in 2002 from the headquarters of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group by Angela Merkel who reread this post, he experienced a long crossing of the desert. When he returns to politics, he must take it twice to be elected to the head of the CDU. But the camouflet inflicted today in the eyes of the whole world is by far the most bitter.
Who are the traitors?
“Happy end after betrayal” is as often the title of Bild newspaper Who best describes this crazy day in a country that is not used to political drafts. For the first time in the history of post-war Germany, a chancellor candidate was not elected the first time by the Parliament. 18 deputies, probably from the three parties making up the future coalition, refused their voice to him in the first round. As this vote is made by secret bulletin, we will probably never know who, in the secret of the voting booth, refused his confidence to him. After a few hours of chaos and disarray, the legal situation having been clarified and the deputies greenly recalled to order, a second vote could be organized at full speed the same day. This is what Friedrich Merz and Lars Klingbeil, the head of the Social Democrats, wanted. No question of leaving AFD time to throw discredit on the parties of the center and to organize the sling.
Read too In Berlin, Friedrich Merz unveils a coalition expected at the turnHow could we get there? Speculations are going well on the reasons that have motivated these defections. Do they come from the CDU/CSU or the SPD? The two camps that have just signed a coalition contract with great fanfare is now looking at a rifle dog. Is confidence broken? Within the CDU, Friedrich Merz made enemies by breaking his great campaign promise: do not loosen the brake on debt. By contracting billions of debts to finance the modernization of German infrastructure and upgrade the Bundeswehr, he disappointed many of his faithful. Did they want to take revenge on him? Certain indignant social democrats might not have forgiven him to have relied in January on the votes of AFD, the far-right party, to pass a motion to limit illegal immigration?
The brittle style of Friedrich Merz, his difficulty in communicating with his troops and his legendary arrogance polarize. Its popularity rating has never been in good shape and it has declined quickly from the elections. On the SPD side, Lars Klingbeil probably made enemies, too, neglecting to distribute portfolios to several of his deserving traveling companions. The mystery of this warning given to the new coalition remains whole.
-A catastrophic false departure
To discover
The kangaroo of the day
Answer
One thing is certain: this chaotic day will have consequences for the mandate of the new humiliated chancellor. Will he be able to count on the loyalty of his troops to defend his policy and vote his law proposals? It is a coalition with clay feet that will get to work this evening. The great profit of this bad start is AFD. Alice Weidel, the head of the party, which has just officially been labeled by far right by the Constitution protection office, asked for the resignation of Friedrich Merz and the holding of new elections. When you know that AFD has progressed in the polls since the February 23 elections and that it will work today the CDU we take the measure of the danger. “We are ready to assume the responsibility of the power,” she hastened to make known by demanding the resignation of Friedrich Merz and the holding of new elections.
Read too Economy, defense, migrants: hot files of the Macron-Merz meeting in ParisThis evening, Friedrich Merz summoned his ministers to a work dinner to the Chancellery. Tomorrow he will surrender As long as long was planned in Paris and in Warsaw. It is up to the new Chancellor to prove that despite this catastrophic false departure Germany remains a solid and reliable partner.
