German chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz is set to take the helm of the coalition government after the Social Democratic Party (SPD) approved the coalition agreement with his CDU/CSU party.

Friedrich Merz will be elected chancellor by parliament on May 6.

The vote among SPD members passed with an 84.6% majority, paving the way for Merz to take over the leadership of the cabinet. 15.4% voted against, with a turnout of 56%. SPD Secretary General Matthias Meirsch said that "in these very difficult times in world politics, we bear responsibility for our security, for economic growth, for secure jobs and equal opportunities."
The new government will take office exactly six months after the collapse of Scholz's centrist coalition, which came after the dismissal of then-Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

In December, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for and lost a vote of confidence after his coalition government collapsed, paving the way for new elections.
On February 23, Germans voted for a new Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. The results were disappointing for the parties in the ruling coalition.
The conservative CDU/CSU bloc emerged victorious with 22.6% of the vote.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second with 20.8%, but the populist party is "blocked" by the established parties in Germany, which means they refuse to work with the far right.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz decided to enter coalition talks with the SPD, which came in third with 16.4%. | BGNES