Dutch PM Dick Schoof congratulates new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof offered his congratulations to Friedrich Merz, who was selected by German officials to become the country’s new chancellor on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, parliamentarians in the Bundestag dealt the Christian Democrat a surprising blow when Merz did not garner enough support to win confirmation during the first vote. Merz thanked those who supported his bid for chancellor, and he and his Cabinet were expected to be sworn in on Tuesday.
“For the Netherlands, the warm ties with our neighbors are of great importance,” said Schoof on social media. “I look forward to continuing the close cooperation with Germany, also within the EU and NATO, alongside Chancellor Merz.”
In the second round, nearly all parliamentarians in the new coalition voted in favor of Merz’s appointment, with 325 out of 328 coalition parliamentarians supporting him. He received 310 votes during the previous round, six short of what he needed. It is not known who voted against him within the coalition. It is possible that they voted “no” at the spur of the moment, and not out of conviction.
That Merz did not collect the required number of votes the first time came as a surprise to many. The Frankfurter Allgemeine called it a historic result, with the newspaper reporting that this had never happened before. The DPA news agency described it as a “shock” and an “enormous humiliation for Merz.”
The 69-year-old will succeed Olaf Scholz, whose coalition fell six months ago, leading to early elections in February. Merz’s Christian Democratic Party became the largest party and was able to form a coalition with Scholz’s Social Democratic SPD. Together with CDU allied party CSU, they hold 328 of the 630 seats.
The new coalition has promised to cut bureaucracy in Germany, and to tackle illegal migration. As a government, they intend to invest heavily in defense and climate measures.
A long-cherished wish is coming true for Merz with his appointment as Chancellor. He previously tried to become party leader of the CDU, but lost out to Angela Merkel. Merz left politics in 2009 and went to work for American asset manager BlackRock, where he became a multimillionaire as the head of their German operations, according to German media. After his return to politics, he emerged as a critic of Merkel within his own party, who served as chancellor for 16 years beginning in 2005.
