Description: Late dramatic events unfolded in the German Bundestag as Friedrich Merz failed to secure the first-round vote to be named Germany’s next Chancellor. Concerns regarding potential political turmoil quickly arose, however, the coalition managed to call for a second round of voting after which Merz was sworn in as the country’s next Chancellor. His first order of business was to reestablish damaged relations with Poland and France as he was scheduled to visit Macron and Tusk in the next couple of days. Merz would also have a phone call with US President Donald Trump in an attempt to schedule a preemptive visit before the two of them meet at the NATO Summit in Jun. Despite the late uncertainty in the results, German political experts have expressed concerns over the stability and integrity of the next government, as the first round of voting has disclosed severe internal division and lack of a unified political front.
Impact: Internal political divisions within Germany’s new governing coalition were more than evident from the first round of voting as Merz eventually managed to secure the required support from Parliament to become the next Chancellor. In times of ample global threats and risks, Germany’s path in reinforcing its role withing the European Union faces stiff opposition from both internal political divisions and mounting pressure from the oppositional far – right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Merz’s circumvention of the Bundestag regarding Germany’s resuscitation of the next debt plan evidently pried open a wide variety of political discontent within the CDU / CSU – SPD coalition. The labeling of the entirety of the AfD party as an extremist entity also contributed towards low levels of support from the German Parliament which was mainly considered as threatening the country’s democratic tradition. Germany’s fragile political landscape puts additional pressure and threatens the governance of the next Chancellor who would have to propel the country into the conventional pillar of stability both within the EU and on the global stage.