After winning the second round of voting, Friedrich Merz was elected as Germany‘s new president on Tuesday, just as his extraordinary failing to win a lot in the first vote. His first defeat was unprecedented, making it the first time a chancellor candidate in post-war Germany didn’t succeed in the first round. The conservative leader was commonly anticipated to get favorably and make history as Germany‘s 10th governor since World War II. Merz received 325 out of 630 vote, enough to secure a clear majority in the next round, compared to 289 who voted against him. Despite the initial loss, some nevertheless believed Merz did succeed as president. In the end, Merz will most likely still be chosen as governor, according to Holger Schmieding of Berenberg Bank. The 69-year-old liberal leader then takes the reins of a coalition led by the incoming Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, calling the first-round defeat” a bad start for him” and calling the failed vote a” great day for Germany.” Ursula von der Leyen, the EU’s chief, stated that she would collaborate with Merz to create a” strong” Europe. Zelenskyy, the newly elected president, praised the Ukrainian leader and stated that he hopes for “more European leadership” under Merz in the West. What if Merz had lost? The Bundestag ( German parliament ) would have had 14 days to choose a candidate with an absolute majority if Friedrich Merz had won the Chancellor’s second-round election. Merz had the opportunity to work again during this time, but various lawmakers had the opportunity to do so. In these two days, there is no limit to the number of seats that could be cast. Germany‘s president may include elected the candidate with the most votes to become its leader or dissolved the Bundestag, initiating a new federal election, if no candidate had won a lot. Volker Resing, Merz‘s biographer, claimed that people would probably miss the loss from the first round if Merz won. But, Merz‘s disappointment was criticized by Alice Weidel, the far-right AfD party’s co-leader, who claimed it demonstrated that his coalition had a “weak base.” Due to the AfD’s strong showing in the February elections, they were turned down for coalition conversations because far-right cooperation has been a long-standing “firewall” in European politics. Read more: Who is Friedrich Merz? Germany‘s New Chancellor was chosen after a sizable next vote.
