CDU leader Friedrich Merz succeeded in becoming Chancellor after securing enough votes in the second round of voting in the Bundestag on Tuesday.
Merz received 325 votes, surpassing the required 316, while a total of 618 out of 630 parliament members participated in the vote.
Of these, 325 voted for Merz, 289 against him, there was one abstention, and three invalid votes.
In the initial round of voting on Tuesday morning, 310 members voted in favour and 307 against, with three abstentions and one invalid vote.
This combination of pictures created on May 6, 2025 shows designated German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reacting as he arrives at the plenary hall to elect Germany's next Chancellor, in Berlin. Credit: AFP / Belga
The unexpected outcome of the first round was a setback for Merz, whose new coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDU), their Bavarian sister party CSU, and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) has a total of 328 seats in the Bundestag.
