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Newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) and his predecessor Olaf Scholz pose with bouquets of flowers they were presented with by chancellery employees during a handover ceremony at the Chancellery in Berlin on May 6, 2025. Photo: John Macdougall/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region leaders on Tuesday extended their congratulations to Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), following his confirmation as the new Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In a post on X, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated Merz, stating, “I wish him every success in his new role. The Kurdistan Region values its close partnership with Germany and looks forward to strengthening our cooperation.”
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani echoed the sentiment via X, writing, “Congratulations Friedrich Merz on your election as the new Chancellor of Germany. I’m confident your leadership will open new opportunities to strengthen the partnership between the Kurdistan Region and Germany.”
Germany’s federal legislature, the Bundestag, elected Merz as chancellor on Tuesday after a second round of voting, in which he secured a parliamentary majority. His first attempt had fallen short by six votes, despite his coalition - comprising the CDU, its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) - holding 328 seats.
Following further negotiations within the coalition, Merz secured 325 votes in the second round. His appointment is set to be formalized by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The federal parliamentary elections, held in February, saw over 59 million Germans vote to fill all 630 Bundestag seats.
The CDU/CSU bloc emerged as the largest faction with 28.5 percent of the vote, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20.5 percent, and the SPD with 16.4 percent.
Key campaign issues included immigration, economic stability, and public trust in democratic institutions.
In late January, the Bundestag passed a controversial motion to tighten enforcement against illegal immigration. The proposal—backed by the CDU, CSU, and the AfD - marked an unusual cross-party alignment that drew criticism from civil society groups and some SPD members.
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