Mr. Merz needed two rounds of voting to become chancellor after a surprising defeat in Parliament hours earlier that threatened to hobble his new government.

Germany was long a beacon of stability in Europe, its politics often reassuringly boring. "Germany and Europe need a strong leader in the German chancellor's office," said economist Holger Schmieding of Berenberg Bank.

BERLIN (AP) — Conservative leader Friedrich Merz succeeded Tuesday in becoming Germany’s next chancellor, drawing applause and a palpable sense of relief in the parliament chamber after a historic loss in the first round of voting threatened the new government's promises of stability.