BERLIN (AP) 鈥� Conservative leader Friedrich Merz succeeded Tuesday in becoming Germany鈥檚 next chancellor, drawing applause and a palpable sense of relief in the parliament chamber after a historic loss in the first round of voting threatened the new government's promises of stability.
No other postwar candidate for German chancellor has failed to win on the first ballot. The stunning but short-lived defeat sent shock waves throughout Europe and dragged down the stock market. The DAX, the index of major German companies, fell by 1.8% at one point.
The first round of voting, which was conducted by secret ballot, could affect Merz's prospects for success and bring trouble to his coalition's agenda, which includes reviving a stagnant economy and dealing with the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party.
As the most populous member state of the and , Germany is Europe's diplomatic and economic heavyweight. Many had hoped Merz鈥檚 ascension would help the continent navigate and the of U.S. President Donald Trump.
鈥淭he whole of Europe, perhaps even the whole world, is watching this second round of elections,鈥� Jens Spahn, the head of the center-right Union bloc in the German parliament, said before the final vote.
The aftermath
Merz had been expected to easily win the vote to become Germany鈥檚 10th chancellor since World War II, but the first ballot in the lower house of parliament unexpectedly left him with 310 votes 鈥� well short of the 328 seats held by his coalition.
Hours later in the second round, he earned 325 votes, surpassing the 316 needed to pass in the 630-seat Bundestag.
Because the votes were cast secretly, it was not immediately clear 鈥� and might never be 鈥� who defected from Merz鈥檚 camp.
Merz鈥檚 coalition is led by his center-right Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union. They are joined by the center-left Social Democrats led by outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who lost the national election in February.
Volker Resing, Merz's biographer, said Merz and his new ministers must now focus on the day-to-day business of running the country.
鈥淭omorrow, this government must work, and it must make people forget how it started," he told The Associated Press. 鈥淚t must now show that it can get the economy going again. ... It must show that it can get illegal migration under control, and it must show that there is leadership again in Europe, especially in light of the threat from the east.鈥�
80th anniversary of World War II
Tuesday's voting came on the eve of the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany鈥檚 unconditional surrender in World War II. The ballots were cast in the restored Reichstag building, where graffiti left by victorious Soviet troops has been preserved at several locations.
The shadow of the war in Ukraine also loomed over the vote. Germany is the second-biggest supplier of , after the United States.
Ukraine鈥檚 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he seeks more European and transatlantic leadership from Germany following Merz鈥檚 win.
鈥淯kraine is deeply grateful for the support of Germany and its people," Zelenskyy wrote on social platform X. "Your helping hand has saved thousands and thousands of Ukrainian lives.鈥�
Overall, Germany is the fourth-largest defense spender in the world, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which studies trends in global military expenditures. Only the U.S., China and Russia are ahead.
Germany rose to that rank thanks to an investment of 100 billion euros ($107 billion) for its armed forces, a measure passed by lawmakers in 2022.
Defense spending rose again earlier this year, when parliament loosened the nation鈥檚 strict debt rules. The move has been closely watched by the rest of Europe as the Trump administration has threatened to pull back from its security commitment to the continent.
Germany and the Trump administration
The U.S. administration has bashed Germany repeatedly since Trump鈥檚 inauguration in January. Trump, who has German roots, often expressed his dislike of former Chancellor Angela Merkel during his first term.
This time around, Trump鈥檚 lieutenants are at the forefront 鈥� tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk . He hosted a chat with co-leader Alice Weidel that he livestreamed on X earlier this year to amplify her party鈥檚 message.
AfD is the biggest opposition party in Germany鈥檚 new parliament after it placed . Despite its historic gains, it was shut out of coalition talks due to the so-called 鈥渇irewall鈥� that mainstream German political parties have upheld against cooperating with far-right parties since the end of the war.
Vice President JD Vance, during the Munich Security Conference in February, assailed the creation of the , a move that German officials heavily criticized.
Last week, the German domestic intelligence service said it has classified AfD , making it subject to greater and broader surveillance.
The decision by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution prompted blowback from and over the weekend. hit back at Rubio after he called on the country to drop the classification.
The domestic intelligence service鈥檚 measure does not amount to a ban of the party, which can only be imposed through a request by either of parliament鈥檚 two chambers or by the federal government through the Federal Constitutional Court.
Merz has not commented publicly on the intelligence service鈥檚 decision.
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Associated Press writer David Keyton and videojournalist Fanny Brodersen in Berlin and writer David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, contributed to this report.
Stefanie Dazio And Kirsten Grieshaber, The Associated Press
