German conservative leader Friedrich Merz was elected chancellor by parliament on Tuesday in a second round of voting after a humiliating and unprecedented defeat on the first attempt.
Merz, 69, who led his conservatives to a federal election victory in February and has signed a coalition deal with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), won 325 votes, nine more than needed for an absolute majority, in the secret ballot.
After the vote, he headed to the nearby Bellevue Palace to be formally nominated by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Later, he will return to the historic Reichstag building in the heart of Berlin to take the oath of office to become Germany's 10th chancellor since the end of World War Two.
Mr Merz needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes in a secret ballot but only received 310 votes in the first round - forcing another vote.
His conservatives won national elections in February with 28.5% of the vote but need at least one partner to form a majority government.
On Monday they signed a coalition deal with the centre-left Social Democrats, who won just 16.4%, their worst result in German post-war history.
Tuesday's vote was held on the eve of the 80th anniversary of Germany's unconditional surrender in World War II. The ballots are secret and cast in the restored Reichstag, where graffiti left by Soviet troops has been preserved at several locations in the building.
Volker Resing, who wrote a biography of Mr Merz, expressed surprise at the turn of events, something he said that "has never happened before" in post-war Germany."
“It shows how fragile the coalition's situation is and that some lawmakers are prepared to spread uncertainty — that's a warning signal," Resing told The Associated Press after the vote.
Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, said that the vote showed the “weak foundation the small coalition has been built between the [conservatives] and SPD, which was rejected by voters”.
