Friedrich Merz
♦ Germany’s conservative leader, Friedrich Merz, was elected as the new Chancellor of the country on 6 May 2025. ♦ He secured a majority in the second round of voting in the Lower House of Parliament. ♦ A total of 325 of the 630 lawmakers voted in favour of Merz this time around, bringing him over the necessary 316 threshold. ♦ Earlier, in the first round, only 310 members voted for Merz. ♦ It was the first time since 1949 that a chancellor candidate had not won on the first attempt.