The leader of the CDU/CSU bloc, Friedrich Merz, was not elected as the new chancellor of Germany. He lacked the necessary votes in the first vote in the Bundestag, according to German Tagesschau.

Merz secured the necessary absolute majority to succeed Olaf Scholz in a hastily organized second round, receiving 325 votes in the 630-seat Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament.

Friedrich Merz after failing to be elected as chancellor at the Bundestag, Berlin, May 6, 2025. AP/Markus Schreiber Finally in power, Mr. Merz faces a fork in the road when it comes to dealing with ...

Merz, a Catholic, lives among the hills and forests of the Sauerland region of North Rhine-Westphalia state. At 198 centimetres (six foot six), Merz stands out in a crowd.

Merz had failed in the first round of voting because only 310 of the 328 members of the Bundestag from the governing coalition of the CDU/Christian Social Union (CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD ...

Merz sworn in as Germany’s new chancellor It took two votes in the Bundestag, but in the end — as expected — conservative Friedrich Merz was elected as Germany's chancellor. He takes over the helm at ...

Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz believes the country's ailing economy, once envied across Europe, can be turned into a "growth locomotive" again, promising tax breaks, infrastructure ...

The session of Germany’s Bundestag started in a festive mood with greetings for dignitaries there to witness a peaceful handover of power. A little over an hour later, havoc ensued that will ...

BERLIN, May 6. /TASS/. The Bundestag has elected Christian Democratic Union leader Friedrich Merz as Germany's Chancellor in a decisive second-round vote. The session was streamed live on the ...

2021 – Returns to his previous seat in the Bundestag. January 2022 - After two failed bids for CDU party leadership, in 2018 and 2021, Merz is selected to lead the party.