German Parliament to Elect Merz as Chancellor on May 6th
Germany’s Parliament Set to Elect Friedrich Merz as Next Chancellor
Germany’s parliament is gearing up to meet on May 6 to elect Friedrich Merz as the country’s next chancellor, pending approval of a coalition agreement by all parties involved, according to a report by Euronews.
The Bundestag, Germany’s lower house, announced on Monday that Speaker Julia Klockner is making preparations to call the session early next month.
Merz, a member of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), along with its sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), recently reached an agreement to form a government following Germany’s snap federal election more than six weeks ago.
The proposed coalition aims to drive economic growth, increase defense spending, adopt a stricter stance on migration, and address longstanding issues of modernization.
Together, the three parties hold a slim majority of 328 out of 630 seats in the Bundestag. With no willingness to cooperate with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which came in second in the February 23 election, there are no other viable combinations of governing parties with a parliamentary majority.
Approval of the coalition agreement by both the CDU and the SPD, the party of departing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is required before parliament can convene to elect Merz. The CSU has already endorsed the agreement.
The SPD is expected to conduct a member vote, while the CDU will hold a party conference on April 28 for their decision-making process.
