17:35⇢Merz Overcomes Historic First-Round Rejection
⌨The newspapers report on Friedrich Merz's historic election as German Chancellor, which required two voting rounds - an unprecedented situation in German history (all sources except Bild and Stuttgarter Zeitung). After failing to secure a majority in the first ballot, Merz succeeded in the second attempt (FAZ, FR, Junge Freiheit, Neues Deutschland, RP Online, Spiegel, Sueddeutsche, TAZ, Tagesspiegel, Welt, Zeit, merkur.de). Media speculation continues about who the defectors were that initially voted against him (TAZ, Tagesspiegel, Zeit). Following his election, Merz and his cabinet were sworn in at Schloss Bellevue (FR, Spiegel, merkur.de).