An important event on the political calendar in Berlin is scheduled for 6 May: the Bundestag is electing a new Federal Chancellor. The election of the Federal Chancellor is the first step towards forming a new Federal Government. The sequence of the day’s events is structured very clearly.

Formation of government

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has proposed Friedrich Merz to the Bundestag as a candidate for the chancellorship. On Tuesday morning the Federal Chancellor will be elected by the Bundestag without prior debate. In the first round of voting the candidate for the chancellorship must receive an absolute majority of votes from the members of the Bundestag, which is referred to as the “Chancellor’s majority”.

What is the procedure of the election in the Bundestag? What type of majority is needed for the Federal Chancellor to be elected? The exact procedure is specified in the Basic Law. The election of the Federal Chancellor in a nutshell:

Following election, the Federal Chancellor is officially appointed to the office by the Federal President at Bellevue Palace. The next step is for them to take their oath of office before the Bundestag. 

The new Federal Chancellor will then suggest the Federal Ministers. These are also appointed by the Federal President and sworn in in the Bundestag.

Olaf Scholz will then hand over the official duties to the newly elected Federal Chancellor at the Chancellery. A new Government Spokesperson is also appointed along with the new Federal Government.

The new Federal Cabinet starts work in the early evening: the first constituent session chaired by the Federal Chancellor will take place in the Chancellery.