Friedrich Merz to be Germany’s next Chancellor: 5 things about the leader, from his background to political rise

While surveys and opinion polls had anticipated the CDU/CSU’s return, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged second with 20.8% of the vote. This marked a first, in a country where parties have aimed to keep parties with extremist ideologies out of power after World War II, in what is known as ‘the firewall’.  The CDU/CSU is expected to ally with the SPD to keep the AfD out of government.

Here is what to know about Merz.

1. 01

   Aristocratic origins

   Merz was born to an aristocratic political family in 1955 in Brilon, in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. His father was a judge and a member of the CDU, while his maternal grandfather served as Brilon mayor.

   He has previously described himself as an average student and a troublemaker who picked up smoking and drinking at an early age. Merz joined the CDU’s youth wing, Young Union in 1972, becoming president of the Brilon branch in 1980.

   After completing his schooling in 1975, Merz briefly served in the army. He studied law at the University of Bonn from 1976 on a scholarship from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, the Christian Democratic Party’s foundation.

   After graduating in 1985, Merz worked as a corporate lawyer and judge before entering politics full-time. He was elected to the European Parliament in 1989, and was elected to the Bundestag, the German parliament a year later. He built a reputation as the party’s financial policy expert and climbed the ranks under the tutelage of party leader, Wolfgang Schäuble.

2. 02

   No love lost with Angela Merkel

   Merz would become best known for a long-standing political rivalry with Angela Merkel, the two representing vastly different directions for the CDU. Merkel led a liberal course for the party, while Merz represented the leitkultur, the party’s conservative old guard.

   In 2000, he was elected Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, while Merkel was elected CDU chairwoman.

   When the CDU/CSU won the 2002 federal election, Merkel won a long-running power struggle and sidelined Merz. Merz served as deputy for two years, until he resigned in December 2004. He gradually withdrew from politics, exiting the Bundestag in 2009.

   He returned in 2018, just as Merkel was preparing to step down. He was elected party leader on his third attempt in 2022, a year after the party’s loss to the SPD in the parliamentary election.

3. 03

   Tough stance on migration

   In January, Merz courted controversy by breaching 'the firewall' to try to pass a bill in Parliament with the support of the AfD. Amidst a spate of knife attacks involving suspects who were asylum-seekers or immigrants, he pushed for a non-binding motion to turn away more migrants at the country’s border.

   While this move was protested by parties across the board – barring the AfD – and by the public, Merz justified this decision as imperative. “Yes, it may be that the AfD will for the first time make it possible for a necessary law to be passed,” he said on the parliament floor. But “we are faced with the choice of continuing to watch helplessly as people in our country are threatened, injured and murdered,” or “to stand up and do what is indisputably necessary in this matter.”

   This decision, and the party’s subsequent endorsement of tougher migration controls may have helped the CDU/CSU establish its current position as a mainstream party tough on immigration.

4. 04

   Evolving relationship with the US

   Given recent remarks by Donald Trump and members of his administration, Merz has sought to distance Germany’s fate from US influence.

   Over the last few weeks, the likes of Elon Musk, and US VP JD Vance endorsed the AfD in what was widely seen as American interference in the country’s election. Trump had also called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” as the rift between US and Ukraine came to the fore.

   He added, “My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA.” This is a far cry from the pro-US views he has long held, both as a politician and as a corporate lawyer who frequently travelled to the US on business.

5. 05

   A formidable corporate lawyer and pilot

   During his political hiatus, Merz built a solid reputation as a corporate lawyer in financial institutions. For a time, he headed the supervisory board of investment manager BlackRock in Germany.

   He is also a keen pilot, and is known to fly his small plane weekly from his home in North Rhine-Westphalia to Berlin. However, this has empowered critics who have accused him of being out of touch with the ordinary German citizen.

Other political views

Merz believes in free-market economics, and advocates tax cuts and minimum bureaucracy to benefit German corporates.

As Chancellor, he is expected to slash €50bn in welfare spending to try to arrest the slowdown in Germany. He has also promised increased aid for Ukraine. In the past, Merz has courted controversy, voting against liberalising abortion laws and criminalising marital rape.