Friedrich Merz elected chancellor of Germany on second ballot

Germany's Bundestag elected Friedrich Merz as federal chancellor on 6 May 2025. He unexpectedly fell short of the required majority in the first secret ballot, then won a second vote later the same day after parliamentary leaders agreed to proceed again.

The CDU/CSU alliance had placed first in February's election and negotiated a coalition with the Social Democratic Party. German voters do not elect the chancellor directly; the president proposes a candidate and the Bundestag chooses the head of government.

Failure on the first ballot was unprecedented for a nominee backed by a signed majority coalition and exposed uncertainty over anonymous defections. It did not automatically dissolve the coalition or require a new national election, because the constitution provides further voting procedures.

After the successful ballot, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier appointed Merz and ministers were sworn in. The government programme addressed economic growth, migration, defence and European policy, but those commitments required later legislation and administration.

Bundestag records establish both counts and the final election. This item preserves the unusual sequence rather than reporting only an effortless accession. It remains distinct from the February result and from subsequent policy, showing how parliamentary confidence converted coalition arithmetic into executive authority.

Merz's first defeat occurred by secret ballot, so public party commitments cannot identify individual defectors. Naming members as responsible without evidence would fabricate conduct that the voting procedure was designed to keep private.