German Christian Democrat leader and its leader for the past 10 weeks, Friedrich Merz, failed his first parliamentary vote to become prime minister on Tuesday morning.
The set time was temporary. Merz's party, sister party, Christian Social Union, and their coalition partner, Centre Left, Social Democrats have enough votes to elect a prime minister and form a government. Merz needs to put pressure on six holdout voters from his coalition to support him in his second vote.
But it was an unprecedented stumbling in Germany. Since the establishment of modern Germany, nominees for prime ministers have failed in the first round of votes.
It was unclear when the second vote would take place.
