Friedrich Merz suffers shock defeat in German parliament vote for chancellor
by Deborah Cole in Berlin from World news | The Guardian on (#6X39X)
Man expected to lead country is first postwar candidate to lose first voting round, described as complete catastrophe'
Germany's presumed next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has suffered a humiliating setback on his path to power by failing to secure the necessary majority in the Bundestag lower house of parliament to be elected.
The ballot on Tuesday was the first time in Germany's postwar history that a candidate has lost the first round of voting in a country that prides itself on predictability and stability.
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