Merz just became chancellor... just

Dear Reader,

Has a record just been set for becoming a lame-duck leader?

Before even taking office, Friedrich Merz has suffered a humiliating rebellion that has laid bare just how fragile his majority is - even before he has begun the job.

On Tuesday morning, after months of negotiations over a coalition deal, the CDU and SPD were expected to vote Merz in as the next German chancellor—a step that should have been a mere formality.

It was meant to be a moment of unity, a signal that both factions stood firmly behind the agreement they had crafted—and behind Merz himself.

In the entire history of the modern German republic, no chancellor-designate has ever failed to secure the parliamentary majority required to assume the role.