Shock loss for Friedrich Merz as he fails to be elected German chancellor in historic first
Conservative leader Friedrich Merz's bid to become Germany's 10th chancellor since the Second World War failed in the first round of voting in parliament on Tuesday by six votes, a vote he had been widely expected to win smoothly.
Listen to this article
A candidate for chancellor has never failed to win on the first ballot since the end of the war.
Mr Merz needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes in a secret ballot.
He only received 310 votes.
The parties were now to regroup to discuss the next step but it was not immediately clear how long the process could take.
Read More: Germany's far-right AfD party officially classified as 'extremist' group
The lower house of parliament - called the Bundestag - has 14 days to elect a candidate with an absolute majority.
Mr Merz can run again, but other legislators can also throw their hat in the ring.
There is no limit to the number of votes that can be held within the two-week period.
If Mr Merz or any other candidate fails to get that majority during the period of 14 days, the constitution allows for the president to appoint the candidate who wins the most votes as chancellor, or to dissolve the Bundestag and hold a new national election.
Mr Merz is seeking to take the helm of the 27-nation European Union's most populous member after outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government collapsed last year.
Germany has the continent's biggest economy and serves as a diplomatic heavyweight.
Mr Merz's portfolio would include the war in Ukraine and the Trump administration's trade policy on top of domestic issues such as the stagnant economy and the rise of a far-right, anti-immigrant party.