Friedrich Merz officially became Germany’s chancellor on Tuesday. In the second round of voting, he received 326 votes — well above the required 316.

Earlier in the day, however, Merz faced a major setback. He failed to secure a majority in the first round, where he received only 310 votes.

Coalition Tested in First Round

Merz leads the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). To form a government, he joined hands with the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Combined, they hold 328 out of 630 seats in parliament.

Despite this, two coalition members voted against him in the first round. As a result, Merz missed the majority mark.

If he had lost again in the second round, the situation would have turned critical. He would have faced strong pressure to step aside. Moreover, the vote would have moved to a third round, where the winner would be chosen based on the highest number of votes — regardless of reaching a majority.

AfD Gains Momentum

Meanwhile, Merz’s initial failure gave an unexpected boost to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The party has gained support recently, often at the expense of the CDU-SDP alliance.

After the first-round results, AfD leader Alice Weidel strongly criticised Merz. She called for his resignation and demanded new elections. “As the AfD, we set out to turn this country from its head back onto its feet. We are ready to take on government responsibility. And we call for reason to prevail. Mr Merz should resign immediately. The path should be opened for new elections in our country!” said Weidel.

AfD Receives International Backing

Furthermore, the AfD enjoys support beyond Germany. The Donald Trump administration in the United States has openly backed the party. In fact, it has even clashed with the German government to defend the AfD’s political interests.