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.

Friedrich Merz succeeded in his bid to become the next German chancellor during a second vote in parliament, hours after he suffered a historic defeat in the first round.

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz was elected chancellor by parliament on Tuesday in a second round of voting after his new alliance with the centre-left Social Democrats was dealt a surprise defeat in the first attempt.