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LAST UPDATE | 6 May
AFTER A SECOND vote in parliament today Friedricch Merz finally succeeded in his bid to become the next German chancellor, hours after he suffered a historic defeat in the first round.
He had been expected to smoothly win the vote to become Germany’s 10th chancellor since the Second World War.
No candidate for chancellor in post-war Germany has failed to win on the first ballot.
Merz received 325 votes in the second ballot.
He needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes in a secret ballot, but only received 310 votes in the first round — well short of the 328 seats held by his coalition.
Three MPs abstained, with one invalid ballot, while nine MPs were absent.
Because the votes were secret ballots, it was not immediately clear — and might never be known — who had defected from Merz’s camp.
Merz’s coalition is led by his centre-right Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union.
They are joined by the centre-left Social Democrats led by outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz, who lost the national election in February.
Upon announcing the second vote, the head of the Union bloc in parliament, Jens Spahn, said, “The whole of Europe, perhaps even the whole world, is watching this second round of elections.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris offered Merz his congratulations in a post on X, saying that Ireland and Germany are “close partners and good friends at the heart of the European Union”.
Hours after being voted in as chancellor by MPs on his second attempt, Merz told the ARD broadcaster he wanted to “restore people’s trust in the political centre and ensure that they no longer feel it necessary to vote for a party such as the AfD.”
The new coalition, consisting of Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance and the centre-left SPD, will offer Alternative for Germany (AfD) voters the chance of “returning to the political centre,” he said.
The AfD has notched up a string of electoral successes in part by capitalising on growing concerns about immigration in Germany at a time Europe’s top economy has been in the doldrums.
It won over 20 percent of the vote in February’s elections, second only to Merz’s conservative Christian Democrats, making it the country’s biggest opposition party.
Germany’s domestic spy agency last week designated the party a “right-wing extremist” group, accusing it of seeking to undermine the country’s democracy.
The AfD is taking legal action over the designation.
Merz also addressed Israel’s new offensive in Gaza.
Speaking to public broadcaster ARD, he said: “We view the developments of the last few days with considerable concern.”
“Israel has the right to defend itself against the brutal attack by Hamas terrorists on 7 October and everything that followed,” said Merz.
“But Israel must also remain a country that lives up to its humanitarian obligations, especially as this terrible war is raging in the Gaza Strip, where this confrontation with Hamas terrorists is necessarily taking place.”
He added that “it must be clear that the Israeli government must fulfil its obligations under the international law of war and that humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip must be provided”.
Following the federal election result in March, Merz invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Germany, despite a warrant for his arrest being issued by the International Criminal Court.
Congratulations to @_FriedrichMerz on your election as Chancellor.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) May 6, 2025
🇮🇪 and 🇩🇪 are close partners and good friends at the heart of the European Union. We look forward to working closely with you and your government.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch!
Germany, the most populous member state of the 27-nation European Union, has the continent’s biggest economy and serves as a diplomatic heavyweight.
The new chancellor’s in-tray would include the war in Ukraine and the Trump administration’s confrontational trade policy on top of domestic issues, such as the rise of a far-right, anti-immigrant party.
His conservatives emerged as the largest party in the country’s February election, taking 28% of the vote as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second with 20% and the Social Democrats came third on 16%.
With reporting from AFP and Press Association
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Not surprised he invited the butcher of Gaza to visit Germany, it must be a business meeting to discuss more arms sales as Germany are the second biggest supplier of weapons to Israel in the world after the US
@Chaotic State: wrong, he hasn’t invited the billionaires who run Hamas
Instead of letting Democracy play out, it’s quite clear that there is interference from within in order to destroy the AFD Party.
The Democrats tried this in the US with Trump and Co prior to the US Election.
How did that work out?
@martin lawlor: it will have the opposite effect, just make AFD stronger. The world can see what stroke they are trying.
@martin lawlor: Google SPD 1933
@Athena: why would anybody do that if it rubbishes their own bs comments. History is not a strong suit on The Journal
@martin lawlor: Complete over simplification. Germans are unlike US Americans. Big difference.
@martin lawlor: You mean let democracy be killed?
@martin lawlor: fffg ganging up to keep sinn fein comes to mind, after 100 years of fffg corruption the addiction……..
@martin lawlor: You can plainly see that the Nazis won in the US and you can also see that the rest of the world wants nothing to Do with a country that elects a convicted criminal to represent them. What does that tell you about the American people?
Complicit
Israeli filth
@Andrew Kenny: Give it a rest will you. The IDF are filth not all Israelis
@Ger Whelan: opinion polls in that country suggest otherwise.
@Ger Whelan: stop with big antisemitism
@Basildon Joe: it is only antisemetic if he used the term Jews or Jewish…..he didn’t ! There is a difference.
@Pat Barry: Basildon Joe is a troll don’t take any notice of it
@John Doe: we know what you enjoy most, pictures of dead Palestinian children. Gets you hard
Another lame duck chancellor that will do nothing but harm to Germany and the EU.
@RP McGuinness: Yes, the russian propaganda machine doesn’t like him does it!
@Eugene Burns: Russia is living rent free in your head. Maybe grow up and realise everything isn’t Russia’s fault
@Ger Whelan: Jeez Ger, even by your standards that’s pretty pathetic. This “living rent free in your head” terminology. Did you just make that up yourself?
@Eugene Burns: Russia ate my hamster, and made it rain on my day off.
@George Bowling: Did Russia repeatedly raise the spectre of using nuclear weapons while doing so? Odd that they are the only nuclear power to do this. I’m not counting Trump’s vague threats like “fire and fury”, because Trump is a buffoon and Putin is not.
@Eugene Burns: when you come up with something original then so will I. But all you blabber on about is Russia, Russia, Russia, your like a broken record
@Ger Whelan: good man Ger.
You obviously have no issue the the RP account constantly posting anti Irish, anti British, anti European propaganda. He is a putin fascist supporter. He couldn’t care less about the fate of Germany. But apparently you have an issue with me calling him out. Now, I wonder why that is.
Maybe you have an issue with my comments on russia but I do actually comment on other stuff. Maybe just don’t get so wound up, don’t read my opinion and move on.
@Eugene Burns: get help lad, you’ve got severe delusions.
@Eugene Burns: I’ve no idea what RP posts. I muted him long ago so I don’t have to witness his rambling. I’ve seen you comment about Russia on plenty of other articles. I think it’s you who’s wound up
@Rian O’Callaghan: that is the worse comment I have ever seen on here .
You really are so kind of low life to come out with something like that .
Do you really think the mass murder of 1000s of people is a good idea ???
@sean weir: he doesn’t deal in ideas lol.
@John Doe: Move to East Germany, lots of AfD. You will like it. (Everyone able had left that kip decades ago).
@sean weir: report & mute the ŕáćísť ťŕòĺl. A smear on these comments with 0 ambition other than stir śĥít. Can’t fathom why Journal don’t ban him outright.
@Ger Whelan: In fairness Ger, I can see his point. I have never seen so much far right sentiment In this country before and it is actually EU wide. It did not kick off until countries took in Ukrainian civilians fleeing the war after Russia invaded it, lifting the burden of protecting civilians from the Ukrainian authorities. If this far right wave takes over the continent to where countries start expelling those refugees back to the Ukraine, it does suit the Russian agenda because the burden goes back on the Ukrainian authorities, meaning they need to spread their resources more thinly.
@Pat Barry: Agree. And every time there is an article about Ireland and the potential to spend money on military or defence of our land, air or sea, Ger is all over it with comments. That subject is “living rent free in his head” for some reason. Again, I wonder why.
@Ger Whelan: So you have RP muted. You don’t even know what the OP was about and you have a go at me?…… Jesus wept!
@Eugene Burns: i didn’t have a go at you. I said Russia is living rent free in your head. You blame Russia and mention Russian propaganda on 2 other articles today that had nothing to do with Russia, and you brought Russia into both articles no one else. So yea Russia is living rent free in your head
@Ger Whelan: Why the lies Ger????
Are you trying to make yourself not look like a fool? Well it’s too late for that.
Apart from this article, the last article I commented on was a landlord issue on the 5th May. And before that a Party poll article on 4th May where I answered someone about the Palestinian issue. Neither of them mentioned Russia.
Obviously mentioning Russia in a negative way seems to trigger you. Again, I wonder why.
@Eugene Burns: Ah so there must be another Eugene burns in the comment section with a hardon to blame everything on Russia. I couldn’t be arsed about Russia bud. Just getting sick and tired of people blaming them on everything.
An AFD led government in Germany is inevitable., and when it arrives it will be a good day for europe. The era of ultra liberal insanity that had done so much damage over the last 15/20 years is coming to an end.
@Declan Young: and not soon enough.
They’ve brainwashed Europe with utter insane policies
@Declan Young: AfD will implode due to lack of plan. Could be a good stunt but won’t last.
@RP McGuinness: No brain no brainwashing – enjoy immunity!
@Declan Young: it is far from inevitable. Their voter base is approx 20% which is a huge jump but about at the ceiling. Most Germans dislike what is happening to their country but the afd is a bridge too far for most which can be seen.
As a paddy living here I can confirm Germany is in serious long term trouble. The export market that has built the countries prosperity is naturally shrinking and now has been turbocharged with sanctions. Add high wages, high energy costs and an inflexible analogue mindset and the result is as we see, 3 years of no growth. Merz is nothing more than a narcissistic populist who never got over merkel getting the position he wanted. He won’t last and I fear germany is simply too old fashioned to transform.
I did not see that coming.
The real issue is that, due to how repellent the far right alternatives are, we will accept normal political parties who won’t really address inequality in societies, or do enough to face up to real world climate/environmental problems. A choice between more or less the status quo, or freakshow extreme parties is not what we need, but what we absolutely have to accept.
@Numinous20111: The far left alternatives are equally repellent, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao tse tung, the list goes on!
@Brian Hunt: You have to go back to the last century for your examples, we only have to go back to yesterday.
@Numinous20111: the far left are a disaster, champagne socialists the lot of them. Can u point to a thriving socialist utopia?
@Brian Hunt: Yes, I accept your point. I didn’t want to make my comment too long, but I should still have acknowledged any extreme politics.
@Brian Hunt: the far left seem to forget tyrannical socialist/communist history. Clowns the lot of them.
On the other article debunked the cost of cars for the Ukrainians, the cars still cost phucking just short of 40,000 a piece!!! And paid for insurance, tax and phucking fuel!!! What the phuck, I drive a banger, 16 years old, 50 miles a day commuting, over €80 a week for phucking diesel! How the phuck can I not get this phucking deal! Some phucking state we live in. And the government can’t understand why people are protesting??!
I believe Germany are opposed to what’s happening in Gaza, as are France and of course Ireland amongst others. The simple solution is Hamas surrender. This will never happen obviously. They are fighting for Iran and generally for the Arab world who hate Israël ; definitely not for the Palestiniens.
@offside again: Shinners need to convince their Hamas buddies to follow the Provos example and surrender.
@offside again: Most Iranians, who are Persian, not arab, are supportive of Israel, not Hamas, and are praying for the day that Israel takes out the mullahs who took over their country with the useful idiot leftists’ support. That of course worked out very well for the leftists who were quickly disposed of by the Islamists once they took control. The Arab world won’t let any Palestinians into their countries. Egypt has the type of border wall with Gaza that Trump would kill for his Southern border. They saw what happened to Jordan in Black September and then to Lebanon when the Jordanians finally managed to kick the Palestinians out. Hamas has support of terrorists like the Houthis and Hezbollah. The only Arab country that supports Hamas is Qatar, the Ayatollah’s mini me.
@Richard Keogh: I think you’re missing the point.
Free the women and children hostages and Gaza is over, pretty simple really. Who is stopping that?
Oh SchMerz
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