Germany’s Merz fails to be elected chancellor in shock first-round parliamentary vote

Friedrich Merz, designated Federal Chancellor (CDU), is pictured during the signing of the coalition agreement between the SPD, CDU, and CSU on May 05, 2025 in Berlin, Germany.

Florian Gaertner | Photothek | Getty Images

Friedrich Merz failed to get the majority needed to become German chancellor in a parliamentary vote Tuesday.

Merz needed at least 316 votes to become chancellor and only 310 members of parliament voted in his favor.

The German Dax stock market index extended losses after the result to trade around 1% lower by 9:30 a.m. London time.

The result marks an unanticipated setback for Merz who was widely expected to secure the necessary votes and be officially sworn in later in the day.

After the result of the vote was announced the parliamentary session was halted to allow for factions to discuss among themselves. A second vote is expected at some point.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated shortly.

Source

World

French stocks slide as Paris government faces risk of collapse

August 26, 2025

European stock markets retreated on Tuesday morning, pulled down by French equities as traders monitored the potential for a no confidence vote in the government next month. France’s CAC 40 index plummeted more than 2% in early deals before paring losses to around 1.75%. The country’s three main opposition parties said they would not back a […]

World

‘Our country is in danger’: French PM takes confidence vote gamble over budget woes

August 26, 2025

France’s Prime Minister Francois Bayrou speaks during a press conference in Paris on August 25, 2025. Dimitar Dilkoff | Afp | Getty Images France’s minority government on Tuesday faced the prospect of collapse within weeks, after opposition parties said they would not back Prime Minister Francois Bayrou in a Sept. 8 confidence vote tied to […]

World

CNBC Daily Open: The White House might need a rebranding exercise in the corporate world

August 26, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during the signing of executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 25, 2025. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters “State-owned enterprise” is a term you wouldn’t normally bandy about when mentioning the United States — especially not with the country’s Republican party, which […]