Mr. Merz needed two rounds of voting to become chancellor after a surprising defeat in Parliament hours earlier that threatened to hobble his new government.

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz failed to secure enough parliamentary votes to become chancellor in a major blow.

Friedrich Merz was elected as Germany's chancellor in a second-round parliamentary vote on Tuesday, after failing to secure the necessary support earlier in the day. Merz needed at least 316 of the 630 members of parliament to vote in his favor.