Friedrich Merz was ready to swear as a 10th German Chancellor on Tuesday morning. Instead, he failed to win several votes in parliament, which is usually just a symbolic step, reducing just six votes from a majority of 316 votes in a secret ballot.
A few hours later, legislators said a second vote was scheduled for local Tuesday time. There is no limit to the number of votes that can take place in the next two weeks.
But if Mr Merz fails to secure a majority in the following votes, the process enters a third phase when legislators can choose a new chancellor using a relative majority. This means that more than one candidates will be proposed and the one with the most votes, not necessarily a majority, will win. Since Mr Merz’s central Christians have the most seats, he or someone else in this party will probably win.
But if a chancellor is elected using only one relative majority, the German president, who usually plays a symbolic role, could decide to call for new elections.
This was the first time that a possible chancellor failed to secure the majority of parliament in the 76th anniversary of modern Germany and the transfer of power is now ceased. Ministers cannot be named or sworn in, which means that Olaf Scholz and his cabinet will remain in a guard government until things are resolved.
For Mr Merz, even if he is finally voted, the damage to him could be serious.
