In the first round of the German Bundestag elections, the conservative candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) was not elected Chancellor.
He failed to obtain the required 316 votes. Merz received 310 votes in favor, 307 against, and three abstentions.
Notably, the Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union, and the Social Democrats have 328 seats in the Bundestag, 12 more than needed to be elected Chancellor.
As Focus notes, the Bundestag has 14 days to elect Merz or another candidate as Chancellor. The candidate must collect a majority of votes.
