Friedrich Merz has finally been voted in as German chancellor – he’ll have to be ruthless to survive

Germany’s new chancellor is surrounded by political enemies on all sides. To beat his domestic foes – and win over Donald Trump – he will need to act quickly to prove he’s not been mortally wounded already, writes John Kampfner

It fell to a party leader best known for cracking jokes to seize the gravity of the moment. The events of Tuesday 6 May 2025 could end up being a “harbinger of Weimar”, declared Markus Söder, head of the Bavarian arm of the Conservative Christian Democrats.

The decision of the Bundestag initially to reject the appointment of Friedrich Merz as chancellor – the first time this has happened in post-war Germany – was a blow to the heart of the democratic system, said Söder, one of the country’s most important politicians. The consequences of a second failed vote would, he suggested, send the country back to the 1920s, an era of instability that eventually ushered in the Nazis.

After seven hours of arm-twisting and desperate appeals within his own party and across the aisle, Merz was finally confirmed to the office, becoming the 10th chancellor of the Federal Republic. This most dramatic of days exposed the fragility of his government even before it had begun.

Is Merz mortally wounded, a paralysed leader at a time when Germany, Europe and democracy need strength? Or will he learn from his close escape and change his ways? At the age of 69, that won’t be easy. Acerbic, sometimes brittle but determined, Merz has made quite a few enemies in a long and turbulent political life.

The coalition that his Christian Democrats (CDU) agreed with the Social Democrats (SPD) was the only one available after a general election in February that saw the far-right AfD storm into a close second place and the revitalised Left Party become a major force in the land.

These two parties were never going to support him. What was shocking, however, was the decision of 18 MPs from the two parties that were supposed to be preparing for government voting against their new leader, knowing that the majority was already wafer-thin. The fact that it was a secret ballot, in accordance with procedure, meant that they could do so with impunity. Scores were being settled.

German MPs usually shun florid language and politics as theatre. The day’s events saw an avalanche of both. Nobody was anticipating such an outcome. As parliament assembled in the morning, everything had been intricately prepared. Olaf Scholz, the outgoing chancellor, had been piped out by a military band, as per tradition, on Monday night. Painfully for all concerned, one of the three music pieces he chose was Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”.

The morning’s vote was expected to be a rubber stamp, with Merz due to head straight to the president’s palace to assume his seals of office; photographers had already assembled in their positions. Each member of the cabinet was to be welcomed into their new government department in a carefully choreographed demonstration of a fresh start. Then a celebratory dinner. Instead, shock, long faces and panic.

Merz will be desperate to put the setback behind him; he will need some quick domestic wins and strong appearances on the world stage to try to ensure that he will not be defined by his Day Zero.

He will pick up his schedule on Wednesday with trips to Paris to see president Emmanuel Macron and straight on to Warsaw to be greeted by prime minister Donald Tusk. That will be followed in short order by Brussels and VE-Day Commemorations. A trip to London is also expected, with a bilateral treaty between the two countries close to completion.

It was no surprise that one of the first leaders to send his congratulations was Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Merz has been forthright in declaring his intention to provide stronger military support for Kyiv and to build up Germany’s weakened armed forces.

The most important relationship of all – with Donald Trump – is expected to be extremely bumpy. The US administration has made no secret of its admiration for its ideological partner, the AfD, and denounced Germany’s security services for officially declaring that party as extreme-right.

The AfD, already level-pegging with the CDU in the polls, is waiting in the wings for this government to collapse. If that happens, if elections were to be called early, then all bets would be off.

That is why Merz must deliver on revitalising the economy, increasing control on immigration and improving public services. He has a huge windfall to spend after parliament agreed to loosen Germany’s stringent controls on borrowing.

On paper, his cabinet looks capable of delivery – a mix of tried and trusted, such as Boris Pistorius staying on as defence minister, in Johann Wadephul a foreign minister who knows his brief, along with some surprising choices, such as a former energy chief executive, Katherina Reiche, who isn’t even in parliament.

A pivotal player will be the vice-chancellor, finance minister and leader of the SPD, Lars Klingbeil. In recent days, he antagonised several experienced figures in his party by not only ignoring them for cabinet posts but giving the impression that he was enjoying denigrating them.

With so many political forces ranged against him, Merz will need to show ruthlessness in pushing through radical legislation. At the same time, he needs to display greater emotional intelligence and the ability to compromise, characteristics he does not appear to have in huge supply. Danger is right in front of him and all around him.