Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) reacts during his swearing in ceremony as new German Chancellor at the lower house of parliament Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany May 6, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
BERLIN (Reuters) - Friedrich Merz's unprecedented first-round failure in the vote to make him German chancellor on Tuesday gave a boost to the far-right AfD, which just days ago was reeling from being officially labelled an extremist threat to democracy.
At least 18 members of the conservative leader's coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats initially chose not to vote for him, highlighting the fragility of a government formed not out of choice or compatibility but out of a consensus decision to shut out the rising Alternative for Germany.
