GERMANY’S MERZ FAILS TO BE ELECTED CHANCELLOR – Conservative leader Friedrich Merz unable to secure majority in first parliamentary round of elections

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz failed to garner the parliamentary majority needed to become chancellor on Tuesday (May 6) in an unexpected setback for his new coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats.

The lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, now has 14 days to elect Merz or another candidate as chancellor with an outright majority.

Merz’s conservative CDU-CSU bloc won national elections in February, but with 28.5% of the vote, it needs at least one partner.

Merz agreed to form a coalition with the Social Democrats, who won just 16.4%, their worst result in German post-war history.