Friedrich Merz's chancellor bid fails in German parliament

Merz needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes, while surprisingly, he only received 310

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

In a historic first, conservative leader Friedrich Merz's bid to become Germany's 10th chancellor since World War II failed by six votes in parliament on Tuesday, a stunning defeat as he had been widely expected to win smoothly.

A candidate for chancellor has never failed to win on the first ballot since the end of the war. The loss triggered a stock market slide: the DAX, the index of major German companies, was down 1.8 per cent following the vote.

Merz needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes. He only received 310 votes—well short of the 328 seats held by his coalition, which is also one of the slimmest post-war majorities. Because the vote was held by secret ballot, it was not immediately clear—and might never be known—who had defected from Merz's camp.