German Chancellor Olaf Schulz’s government failed Thursday to persuade lawmakers to vote to commit to the coronavirus vaccination from the age of 60.

The compulsory vaccination project, a promise by the German chancellor that faltered for several months, received 296 votes in favour, but was rejected by 378 deputies. Nine members of the lower house of the German parliament abstained from the vote.

This disdain is significant for Angela Merkel’s successor, who spoke in the fall about the compulsory vaccination of all adults, promised “the end of February or the beginning of March.”

But the new Social Democratic chancellor was unable to bring all three parties into his government coalition, bringing together social democrats, environmentalists and liberals, nor the conservative opposition.

The topic is thorny in Germany, where the anti-vaccine movement is mobilizing strongly. The liberals from the FDP in particular have held off for months at the idea of ​​committing to vaccination.

Although the bill was partially emptied of its substance, with an obligation reserved only for those over sixty, the government was unable to unite around its proposed majority in the Bundestag.

The chancellor, who has been criticized in recent months for her discretion and lack of leadership, drew mockery on Thursday by forcing the head of diplomacy, Annalena Barbock, to leave the NATO meeting in Brussels on Ukraine to attend and vote, according to several media outlets. mentioned.

The health situation continues to deteriorate in Germany, which has recorded more than 200,000 new cases of Covid virus every 24 hours in recent days. The seven-day infection rate exceeds 1,200.

About 76% of the population received two doses of the vaccine. Only 58.9% of Germans received a booster dose against COVID according to the Robert Koch Institute.