The morning of May 6th was meant to be a routine final stage in the choreography of the handover of power to Friedrich Merz as chancellor, with a vote of MPs in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament.

Friedrich Merz has secured a majority in the second round of voting at the German Bundestag, averting a constitutional crisis. Follow DW for more.

Friedrich Merz succeeded in his bid to become the next German chancellor during a second vote in parliament, hours after he suffered a historic defeat in the first round.