GERMANY’S new Chancellor Friedrich Merz has finally been confirmed by the country’s parliament just hours after losing a first humiliating vote.
After a fraught day for the new Chancellor in Berlin, he was voted in as Germany’s new head of government with 325 votes.
Earlier today, he lost an initial confirmation vote, falling short of the 316 votes needed.
He will now preside over a coalition of his own centre-right CDU/CSU and the centre-left SPD – the part of of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The stunning initial setback was the first time in Germany’s postwar history that an incoming Chancellor lost such a vote.
The two coalition partners jointly have a slim majority in Germany’s parliament, suggesting there is already some disquiet in the alliance.
Merz was appointed after his party won the country’s election in February, reclaiming the top spot it had lost four years ago.
However, the election also saw the far-right AfD get their best result to date, beating the long-established SPD to second place.
Merz succeeds Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had held the office since 2021.
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