Merz fails in the first ballot: New government under pressure!

Merz fails in the first ballot: New government under pressure!

On May 6, 2025, the political situation in Germany is overshadowed by an unexpected debacle. The CDU federal manager Friedrich Merz fails in the first ballot for the chancellor's election. He only receives 212 votes and thus misses the necessary majority of 318 votes by six votes. It is particularly serious that he lacks 18 votes from the Union and the SPD, such as Tagesschau This raises questions about the stability of the newly formed coalition, which was only launched on May 5, 2025 with the signing of the coalition agreement "Responsibility for Germany".

The chairpersons of the CDU, CSU and SPD had ratified a 144 -page contract in Berlin. This was the fifth black and red coalition in the history of the Federal Republic. Merz expressed himself optimistically about reforms and investments in Germany in advance. The first challenges under the new coalition agreement are serious. This includes the boosting of the economy, the containment of irregular migration and the implementation of the budgets for 2025 and 2026.

intention and disappointment

The reactions on Merz 'failure are mixed and reflect the tensions of different political actors. Hesse Prime Minister Boris Rhein demands stability and is for a second ballot. CDU parliamentary group leader Ines Claus is optimistic that Merz is chosen in the second round. Nevertheless, Hessen-SPD general secretary Josefine Koebe expresses her surprise on the outcome of the first ballot and warns of professionalism in the cooperation between the factions.

Political uncertainty also has economic effects. The stock exchange reacts negatively to the choice, the DAX falls into the minus. This leads to a concern about the future economic stability of Germany. The President of the Association of Hessian Entrepreneurial Associations expresses a lack of understanding of the situation, while AfD parliamentary group leader Robert Lambrou describes failure as leadership failure and demands a vote of no confidence.

Political scientist Karl-Rudolf Korte also warns that many people have no high expectations of the government. This could affect the general acceptance of the new coalition, which at least started the negotiations with a positive consent of 84.6 percent, so ZDF .

outlook and challenges

Friedrich Merz still needs 316 votes in the Bundestag in the second ballot to be elected as a chancellor. If he succeeds, he will be sworn in in the Bundestag and receives the certificate of appointment from the Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Half a year after the break of the first traffic light coalition, a new government could start their work that is supposed to tackle large reform projects and present the first results by summer.

The challenges are considerable. In the midst of these uncertainties, it is more important than ever that the coalition is together and that the upcoming responsibility is aware of in order to lead Germany into more stable waters.