On Tuesday, Germany’s lower house of parliament convened for the election of Friedrich Merz as the country’s new chancellor.
Mr Merz requires an absolute majority of votes in the 630-seat Bundestag to succeed the outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
The incoming coalition, made up of Mr Merz’s Christian Democrats, the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union and the centre-left Social Democrats, held 328 seats in the Bundestag.
Shortly before the vote, representatives from the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group and the SPD said all their lawmakers were in attendance, making Mr Merz’s election all but certain.
