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.

The leader of Germany's Christian Democrat-Social Democratic coalition, Friedrich Merz, suffered a shock defeat Tuesday in his bid to become chancellor after failing to secure a majority in a vote in the Bundestag.

Friedrich Merz narrowly lost the first round of voting Tuesday to become Germany's next chancellor, in a surprise setback for the CDU party leader. Merz, who has been the favourite to become chancellor since his party won the federal election in February,