Journalist | Editor | Chairperson | Germany expert / correspondent | in Hilversum & Berlin
On “Bar Laat”: Friedrich Merz did, after all, receive enough votes in the Bundestag
Ulrike Nagel was a guest on the show “Bar Laat” and spoke with Annette Birschel and Sophie Hilbrand about today’s historic votes in the German Bundestag. This episode of the program aired on Tuesday, May 6, on BNNVARA.
00:00 Intro; Sophie Hilbrand 01:02 Ulrike Nagel; the Pope 02:51 Clip; not enough votes in the Bundestag 03:58 Annette Birschel 05:30 Ulrike Nagel 06:52 Annette Birschel 09:00 Ulrike Nagel 11:08 Annette Birschel 11:54 Ulrike Nagel 12:15 Annette Birschel 14:09 Ulrike Nagel
Ulrike Nagel was a guest on the “Bar Laat” show, talking with Annette Birschel and Sophie Hilbrand about today’s historic votes in the German Bundestag.
Summary
In this episode of the program “Bar Laat,” Ulrike Nagel is a guest to discuss the German politician Friedrich Merz. They discuss how Merz needed two rounds of voting to be elected Chancellor of Germany, which is considered a historic event, as this has never happened before in the history of the Federal Republic.
The vote was seen as a formality, since it was essentially already a foregone conclusion that he would become chancellor. Nevertheless, 18 members of parliament from the coalition parties (SPD and CDU) voted against him in an anonymous, secret ballot.
Reasons for the “no” votes
The broadcast cites several possible reasons for the unexpected votes against him:
Broken campaign promises: Merz has made a number of political decisions that have led to discontent. For example, he broke a campaign promise by abolishing the “Schuldenbremse”—a cap on additional debt—which he had pledged to maintain during the election campaign.
Cooperation with the far right: Merz pushed through a motion for a stricter immigration policy in the Bundestag, in cooperation with the far-right AfD party. This was not well received, as there had been agreements not to cooperate with this party.
Personal unpopularity: Merz is described as an arrogant macho who isn’t very popular even within his own party. It took him three attempts to become the party’s lead candidate. He is one of the most unpopular politicians in Germany. Ulrike Nagel, who comes from East Germany, views him as the typical arrogant “Wessi” (West German) and suspects that many female members of parliament voted against him.
The Consequences
Due to the votes against him, Merz has gotten off to a rocky start. The German media are calling the incident a “political catastrophe.” His coalition is now seen as unstable and standing on “shaky ground,” which, according to far-right AfD leader Alice Weidel, is a valid point. The financial markets reacted immediately: stock prices fell by 300 points after the first failed round of voting.
Despite this setback, Merz has achieved his goal. He was ultimately elected chancellor. Nagel believes he will head to Europe tomorrow for talks with the same authority, since he ultimately achieved what he set out to do.
Bar Laat is BNNVARA’s late-night talk show on NPO1, hosted alternately by Sophie Hilbrand and Jeroen Pauw. From Studio 3, Sophie Hilbrand, Jeroen Pauw, or Tim de Wit lead discussions with guests and the audience about current events, art, culture, sports, and music.
