Merz travels to France, Poland – DW – 05/07/2025

Friedrich Merz, of the conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU), was elected chancellor in a second round of voting on Tuesday, after an unprecedented first round where he failed to secure enough votes. 

A total of 325 lawmakers voted in favor of Merz the second time around, bringing him over the necessary 316 threshold required to be chancellor in the 630-seat parliament.

The first round of voting stunned the country because it had never happened before in the country’s postwar history and sent social media into a frenzy.

The development underscored the fragility of the coalition partners, experts said, since the conservative bloc, CDU/CSU, and its junior partner, center-left SDP, have 328 lawmakers between them which meant Merz’s chancellorship should have seen the light of day in the first round.

Merz becomes Germany’s tenth postwar chancellor and the CDU’s sixth holder of the post. 

After failing to secure enough votes to be elected as chancellor on the first attempt,  Friedrich Merz was confirmed as chancellor after a second round of votes on Tuesday afternoon.

As he tries to move on from the bumpy start to his leadership, Merz is headed to France and Poland on Wednesday to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Merz, who is 69 years old, takes over Germany’s leadership at a time when Europe’s biggest economy has been struggling with growth, and as tensions over migration or trade with the US take center stage in politics.

More to follow, with updates and analysis on all things Germany.