Germany's Merz and Scholz cast ballots in 1st parliament vote on chancellor

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz and outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz participated in the first round of voting by lawmakers on the election of a new German chancellor. 

The vote, held on Tuesday, saw Merz fail to secure the necessary majority, resulting in an unexpected setback for the conservative candidate. Despite Merz's strong position, he did not garner enough support in the first round, leaving him short of the required votes to be named chancellor. 

Following this outcome, two additional rounds of voting will take place. In the third and final round, a simple majority of lawmakers will be enough to elect the new chancellor.