Friedrich Merz’s bid to become Germany’s 10th chancellor has unexpectedly failed in the first round of voting in parliament.
Mr Merz, the conservative leader, needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes in a secret ballot.
He only received 310 – falling short by just six votes.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
