Reuters
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German conservative leader Friedrich Merz failed to garner the parliamentary majority needed to become chancellor on Tuesday in a first round of voting in an unexpected setback for his new coalition with the center-left Social Democrats.
Merz, 69, who led his CDU/CSU conservatives to win a federal election in February and since secured a coalition deal with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), won just 310 votes in the lower house of parliament, Bundestag President Julia Kloeckner said. He needed 316 to secure a majority.
Kloeckner said she was interrupting the parliamentary session so that the parliamentary groups could consult on how to proceed.
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