German political scene suddenly changes! Merkel, who suffered a defeat in the "procedural vote" unprecedented since World War II, fights back in the parliamentary vote.

Germany's Chancellor-designate Friedrich Merz will once again try to win the support of the majority of members of the German Bundestag on Tuesday evening local time in order to take office as Germany's next Chancellor as soon as possible, following his unexpected defeat and loss of face in the initial vote. The negative impact of this political event led to a more than 2% drop in the German DAX stock index and dragged down the Stoxx 600 index of European stocks. The conservative leader failed to garner a majority of votes in an anonymous vote in the Bundestag earlier in the day, which was supposed to confirm his leadership of the ruling coalition consisting of the center-right Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). This marks the first time since World War II that a Chancellor-designate in Germany did not receive enough support in the initial parliamentary vote, preventing Merz from taking over from the outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as planned and pushing the reins of Europe's largest economy into uncharted territory. In the preliminary vote count, Merz only received 310 votes, below the 316 votes required for a "procedural vote" out of a total of 630 members, while the ruling coalition partners collectively hold 328 seats in the Bundestag. Even though the parties have signed a coalition agreement, Article 63 of the German Basic Law stipulates that after being nominated by the Federal President, the Chancellor-designate must obtain an "absolute majority" (at least half of the sitting members voting in favor) in an anonymous vote in the Bundestag before taking office - a process known in German politics as a "procedural vote", given that there had already been an election. Since Merz only received 310 votes in the first round of voting, falling short of the 316 vote threshold required, another vote must be held until a result that meets constitutional requirements is achieved or the process moves to the next stage. This is the fundamental reason why he is "Chancellor-designate but still needs a vote in the German Bundestag." While Merz has reached a governing agreement with the SPD and has been nominated by the President, he can only become Chancellor once he has passed the dual "formal - legal" threshold of an absolute majority in the Bundestag. Following his defeat in the first round, a re-vote is legally required, serving as the final confirmation of the government's legitimacy in the German parliamentary democracy system. "Without a doubt, we are in an unusual and embarrassing situation today, but we are following orderly democratic procedures," said Jens Spahn, the parliamentary leader of the CDU/CSU, in Berlin to reporters. After consultations with other parliamentary factions, including the opposition Green Party and Left Party, it was agreed to hold another vote on Merz at 3:15 pm local time. Lars Klingbeil, who is set to become Deputy Chancellor and Finance Minister, emphasized, "It is very important for Germany to have a stable government." He expressed optimism for the success of the second round of voting. If the second vote is successful, Merz will be officially appointed later on Tuesday by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, followed by a swearing-in ceremony in the Bundestag. Despite the ruling coalition holding 328 seats in the Bundestag, Merz only received 310 votes in the initial count, falling short of the 316 vote threshold required out of the 630 members voting. Since the vote was secret and anonymous, the identities of those who did not support him may never be revealed. Conspiracies about who the key defectors are and their motivations have already begun to circulate widely in Germany. Following the announcement of the voting results, Merz, visibly disappointed, left the meeting hall to hold emergency talks with conservative allies and potential governing partners. The typically smooth and seamless process of government change in Germany now appears fractured and disjointed. If the second vote is successful, he will be formally appointed later on Tuesday by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and sworn in in the Bundestag, before completing the handover with Scholz and presiding over the first meeting of the new cabinet. Merz plans to make his first official visit on Wednesday - first to Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, followed by a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw. Even if he is eventually confirmed as Chancellor, the unexpected defeat in the parliamentary vote is still a major embarrassment for the 69-year-old, politically unpopular politician. Pressure on Germany's new ruling coalition - the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has risen to prominence alongside the conservative CDU/CSU Merz is taking office at a critical moment for the German economy. After two years of recession, the German economy is stagnating and still facing high inflation challenges, with the war between Russia and Ukraine continuing in the eastern region, and the support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party rising, especially in the former East German states. The anti-immigrant party was officially classified as an extreme right-wing extremist organization by Germany's domestic security agency last week and has surpassed Merz's coalition in some polls, becoming a major opposition force in the German Bundestag. AfD lawmakers even took pleasure in Merz's unexpected defeat, with co-leader Alice Weidel posting on social media, "This shows the weak foundation of his ruling coalition". In a subsequent television interview, Weidel stated that her party (which came in second in the national election on February 23) is ready to join a coalition government in Germany. "We can only hope that common sense prevails, Mr. Merz resigns, and new elections become possible," she added.