Six Votes Short in First Round... First Failed Initial Vote Since World War II
At Least 18 Coalition Members Defect... Second Round Vote Not Yet Scheduled
Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), failed to secure a majority in the vote to elect the chancellor on May 6 (local time).
This marks the first time since World War II that a chancellor candidate has failed to pass the first round of voting, raising concerns that political uncertainty will grow again in Germany, which is both Europe's leading country and the continent's largest economy.
According to AP Yonhap News and other outlets, Merz received 310 out of a total of 630 votes in the first confidence vote held in the Bundestag that morning. To be elected and inaugurated as chancellor by the Bundestag, a candidate needs a majority of at least 316 votes, but Merz fell short by six votes.
There were 307 votes against, three abstentions, and one invalid vote. Nine members did not participate in the vote at all. Considering that the new coalition government led by the CDU·Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) holds a total of 328 seats, it is interpreted that at least 18 coalition members defected.
In Germany, a parliamentary confidence vote is required for the inauguration of a new chancellor, but it is generally regarded as a formality to confirm the pre-agreed decision of the ruling party or coalition. Merz was widely expected to be approved without difficulty and to be inaugurated on the same day.
Foreign media also described the result as unexpected. Bloomberg reported that even local broadcasters covering the vote count live could not hide their astonishment.
According to the rules, if the first round of voting fails, a second round can be held. However, the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported that the second vote was not scheduled to take place that day.
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