Germany's Bundestag on Friday finally approved a contentious pension reform package which was subject of weeks of internal revolt within Chancellor Friedrich Merz's own Christian Democratic Union party. But this brings to an effective end yet another challenge in his turbulent first seven months in office.

The lower house passed the legislation, which rolls out a reform locking the state pension level at 48% of average wages through 2031, by a vote of 319 to 225, with 53 lawmakers abstaining.

Eighteen younger members of Merz's center-right Union bloc, a number greater than his coalition’s parliamentary majority, had led an aggressive campaign of resistance to the plan. They argued it will place an unfair burden on younger generations, among other issues including hidden mounting costs.

We've for months documented that Germany's public pension system is under mounting pressure: amid a deepening economic crisis, uncontrolled poverty migration, and a rapidly aging population, a shrinking workforce is being forced to shoulder an ever-growing burden. Meanwhile, the number of pension recipients continues to rise and has now smashed through the 21-million mark.

Merz has tried, dubiously, to demonstrate firm control over his coalition by pushing for an absolute majority of all 630 Bundestag members. However, Friday's vote outcome spared him the embarrassment of passing the bill only with the help of opposition abstentions from the Left Party. On this, Politico explains:

Earlier this week, Germany’s far-left Die Linke (The Left) party announced its lawmakers would abstain from the vote, effectively ensuring its passage by reducing the overall number of votes needed to pass the pension legislation.

Still, Merz continued to try to secure the support of young conservatives in order to avoid the politically damaging impression that his coalition was dependent on indirect far-left support to get the package over the line.

Ultimately, only seven members of Merz’s conservative bloc voted against the package, giving the conservative leader a so-called chancellor’s majority.

He had entered office by criticizing the political chaos and internal strife which characterized former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government before it collapsed last year. Merz vowed to avoid such a bumpy road, but his stint thus far has been precisely that.

"This is not the end of our pension policy," Merz said immediately after Friday's vote. "It’s only the beginning." He conceded that the controversy revealed just "how big the challenges are that our country faces."

He further said his office has been engaged in "too many public discussions" - among the more pressing priorities of the country's stagnant economy and the question of the migration crisis.