Merz elected German chancellor

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz has been elected chancellor in a second round of voting after a dramatic day in Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, Deutsche Welle reported.

A total of 325 lawmakers voted in favor of Merz this time around, bringing him over the necessary 316 threshold.

Asked by Bundestag President Julia Klöckner whether he accepted the result and role, Merz replied: "Madam President, I thank you for your trust and I accept the election."

Earlier, the 69-year-old became the first presumptive chancellor to fail in the first round of voting, a unique event in Germany. With 310 yes votes, he was six votes short of a chancellor majority.

He becomes Germany's tenth postwar chancellor and the Christian Democrats' sixth holder of the post.