At a treacherous moment for Germany, Merz must recover from a rocky start

The election of Friedrich Merz as chancellor by German legislators on the morning of 6 May was meant to end months of political instability, since the collapse of Olaf Scholz’s government half a year ago - itself the result of bitter infighting at the top.

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Many fear this could be the last chance to keep out the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). But the humiliating result of the first ballot - in which Mr Merz became the first chancellor designate to fail to secure the majority needed in the Bundestag was a bad beginning.

It was supposed to be a straightforward confirmation; instead, he was hobbled by rebels from his own coalition. Only 310 of its 328 legislators backed him, short of the 316 required. He was approved by 325 in a hastily scheduled second vote, hours later.

Yet while it was a bombshell, the first vote only laid bare the fundamental problem. The alliance between Mr Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats is in practice a very modest coalition - and he has no realistic alternatives should it fall apart.