Germany's Merz falls short of majority in vote for chancellor

Germany's conservative leader has unexpectedly fallen short of the numbers needed to form a majority in parliament to become chancellor.

Friedrich Merz needed 316 votes in the 630-seat Bundestag but only secured 310, in a significant blow to the Christian Democrat leader, two and a half months after winning Germany's federal elections.

Two and a half months, they weren't joking about slow German bureaucracy 😱