German Chancellor Friedrich Merz secured an absolute majority for his pensions bill in the Bundestag on Friday, surviving a rebellion by younger conservatives that had threatened his authority. The package passed with 319 votes in favour, clearing the required threshold of 316 without relying on opposition support.
The bill guarantees current pension levels until 2031, expands the “mother’s pension,” and introduces tax incentives for working beyond retirement age. It also strengthens workplace and occupational pension schemes.
Merz had framed the vote as a crucial test for his fragile coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats, which holds just a 12-seat majority. Resistance centred on the conservatives’ youth faction, whose 18 MPs warned that stabilising pension levels would impose multi-billion-euro costs on younger generations in the long term.
Despite several members voting against the bill, the rebellion fell short. Merz’s allies said the result averts a major crisis for the government.
