Friedrich Merz elected 10th Chancellor of Germany
Appointment
4 min read
Freidrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party has been elected as the 10th Chancellor of Germany. Freidrich Merz was elected as German Chancellor by the Bundestag (German Parliament) on 6th May 2025. Friedrich Merz was elected in the second round of voting in the Bundestag after failing to secure the required majority in the first round.
For the first time after World War II, a German Chancellor has been elected in the second round of voting in the Bundestag.
Freidrich Merz succeeded Olaf Scholz, whose coalition government lost the 2025 Bundestag general election.
Friedrich Merz leads a three-party coalition government of the CDU, Christian Social Union (CSU), and Social Democrats (SPD).
How is the German Chancellor elected?
The German Chancellor (equivalent to the Indian Prime Minister) shall be a citizen of Germany and at least 18 years old. The candidate need not be a member of the Bundestag.
The German President proposes the candidate's name for the German Chancellor to the Bundestag.
To be elected, the candidate must secure the votes of an absolute majority of the Bundestag members.
If the candidate fails to secure the required vote, then a second round of voting is held.
Frederich Merz was elected in the second round of voting.
2025 Bundestag Election in Germany
Bundestag is the national Parliament of Germany, whose members are elected by the German public. The election to constitute the 21st Bundestag was held on 23rd February 2025.
The Bundestag has 630 members.
The term of the Bundestag is four years.
The voters in Germany have two votes. They vote for a candidate representing a constituency, and their second vote is for the party's list of candidates in a particular state of Germany.
Each party is allocated seats in the Bundestag based on the number of second votes it received nationwide.
Election Result
- The Christian Democratic Union party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz emerged as the single largest party with 164 seats.
- The far-right Alternative for Germany (Afd) won 152 seats, and the third largest party, the Social Democrats of former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, won 120 seats.
About Friedrich Merz
- 69-year-old Friedrich Merz is the second-oldest Chancellor after Konrad Adenauer.
- Friedrich Merz has never been a federal minister, a state government premier (chief minister) or even a mayor in his political career.
About Germany
Capital of Germany- Berlin
Currency - Euro
President -Frank Walter Steinmeier
