BERLIN, May 6 (Reuters) – German conservative leader Friedrich Merz failed to secure enough parliamentary votes to become prime minister on Tuesday, in a major blow that once again disrupted politics in Europe’s biggest economy.
Meltz, 69, won the federal elections over CDU/CSU conservatives in February, signing a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats (SPD) on the centre left, winning just 310 votes in the secret vote, a secret vote in the House. That meant that at least 18 coalition lawmakers did not support him.
It’s not a fatal setback, but the first time Mertz’s Ask has failed to beat Parliamentary support is embarrassing for the man who has promised to revive economic growth during the course of global turbulence.
Most often, on Wednesday, Merz threw the travels he had planned to France and Poland as the new prime minister into question.
Nine lawmakers abstained, but 307 voted against Meltz, Bundestagg President Julia Crokner said.
Visibly shocked, Meltz stood up to meet his colleagues. Party Insider expressed confidence on Monday that he will secure a majority.
Kloeckner postponed the parliamentary session so that the parties could decide how to proceed. It is unlikely that another vote will be held on Tuesday.
“This is an important negative. He (Merz) is still likely to be elected, but this indicates that the coalition is not united, which could undermine our ability to pursue policy.”
German stocks extended the decline from record levels, with bond yields falling. After the February election, Meltz secured a huge borrowing programme framework law focusing on defense and infrastructure. However, some of his own supporters were unhappy with the loosening of borrowing restrictions.
The 14th to elect Prime Minister
“…The government needs to convince its own supporters that it can provide,” said Carsten Brzeski, president of eurozone economics, global head of macro research and chief economist in Germany.
“The failed vote is clearly a sign that not everyone at the CDU agrees to a fiscal U-turn.”
Currently, Bundestag has 14 days to elect Merz or another prime minister.
“The fact that Meltz failed in the first round of votes sends a devastating signal to society and the economy. The ranks are not united,” said Jens Suedekum of Duseldorf Institute for Competitive Economics (DICE).
Merz’s conservatives won the February election with 28.5% of the vote, establishing a majority government in need of at least one partner.
On Monday they signed a coalition agreement with the SPD, which won just 16.4% and pledged to reform Germany.
However, the parties have lost support since deploying an already gross performance in February, with the German far-right alternative appearing in the second, topping with a recent investigation.
“Meltz is casting a dark shadow about the future of the Union as he was not selected in the first round,” said Philip Caker, a political scientist at Hanover University.
“I expect him to be elected in the second round, but the relationship between the parties is severely damaged due to this, and (it) exacerbates the already foaming conflict under the surface.”
Germany has no majoritarian government since Olaf Scholz’s SPD-led tripartite coalition collapsed last November, but it has already faced an array of headwinds.
The world trade war, sparked by President Donald Trump’s sweeping import duties, is threatening to cause a third year economic recession that requires rethinking its business model.
Meanwhile, Trump has weakened the US commitment to the NATO Defense Alliance, allowing Europe to hurry up and put more strain on defense spending.
(Reporting by the Berlin Newsroom, written by Sara Marsh and Friederike Heine, edited by Matthias Williams)
