Friedrich Merz on Tuesday became Germany's chancellor, succeeding in a second-round parliamentary vote after initially failing to secure the necessary support. The first-round setback was unprecedented in Germany's modern history,

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.

In a historic first, conservative leader Friedrich Merz ’s bid to become Germany’s 10th chancellor since World War II failed in the first round of voting in parliament on Tuesday by six votes, a stunning defeat as he had been widely expected to win smoothly.