Germany's conservative leader, Friedrich Merz, is poised to lead the nation after his party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), won the largest vote share in the country's general elections, overtaking Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).
At 69 years old, Merz, a long-time rival of ex-chancellor Angela Merkel within the CDU, has led the center-right Union bloc through the election campaign, which consistently outpaced polling.
Known for his strong business background, including roles at investment fund BlackRock and various corporate boards that made him a millionaire, Merz has never held a government leadership position.
Despite this, he seeks to project a statesman-like persona, confident in his ability to deal with unpredictable global leaders, such as US President Donald Trump, whom he has described as "predictably unpredictable."
Merz, a trained lawyer, has been a vocal critic of Merkel's open-door migrant policy, which led to tensions within the CDU, especially regarding support from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on controversial issues in parliament. His fiery rhetoric was directed at Scholz and his government throughout the campaign, particularly as he railed against the perceived failures of the "green-left" coalition.
Merz, although lacking strong personal approval ratings, was seen as the favored challenger to Scholz, positioning himself as the remedy to what he has labeled "three lost years" for Germany.
In a recent harsh critique in parliament, Merz compared Scholz and his allies to business managers who had bankrupted a company yet still requested contract extensions. "Do you know what the owners would say once they stopped laughing?" he quipped. "They would politely ask you to leave the company. That's how it is in normal life."
Merz's campaign promise centers around reviving Germany’s struggling economy and restoring the country’s international standing for "a Germany we can be proud of again." On election night, a jubilant Merz urged swift negotiations to form a new coalition government, emphasizing that "the world out there is not waiting for us." With a longstanding ambition to lead, he is eager to pursue his vision for the nation.
One of Friedrich Merz's most controversial pledges is to shut Germany's borders to undocumented migrants, even those seeking asylum, and to detain individuals awaiting deportation.
In the past, Merz has faced criticism for inflammatory remarks, such as calling the sons of Muslim immigrants "little pashas" and accusing some Ukrainian war refugees of "social welfare tourism," though he later apologized for these comments.
Merz made headlines last month when he pushed a motion through parliament signaling a hardline stance on immigration, backed by the extreme-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). This move broke a long-standing political taboo of cooperating with the controversial party and sparked protests on the streets.
In addition to his tough immigration policy, Merz has promised a "zero tolerance" law-and-order campaign, which includes plans to reverse marijuana legalization, limit "woke" policies, curb gender-sensitive language, and explore a return to nuclear power. He argues these measures will help him regain voters who have shifted toward the AfD.
However, Merz may need to moderate some of his policies as he navigates coalition talks with potential partners.
Throughout the campaign, Scholz sought to paint Merz as a "hothead," warning that his ties to the AfD indicated he might eventually govern with the far-right party—a charge that Merz has vehemently denied.
Der Spiegel magazine has reported that Merz takes conflicts personally and is prone to bouts of anger, humorously suggesting that "if Merz were a bullfighter, he would probably hold the red cloth in front of his stomach."
Friedrich Merz, born on November 11, 1955, is a Roman Catholic and resides in the scenic Sauerland region of North Rhine-Westphalia, surrounded by rolling hills and forests. Standing at six foot six (198 cm), Merz is hard to miss and holds a pilot's license, occasionally flying his private jet.
Merz has been married for over 40 years to Charlotte Merz, a judge, and together they have three adult children. His political career began in 1989 when he was elected to the European Parliament, followed by a move to the Bundestag, where he mentored under the late CDU powerbroker Wolfgang Schäuble.
After Chancellor Helmut Kohl's reign ended in a scandal, Angela Merkel quickly sidelined Merz, eventually taking over the party and leading Germany for 16 years. Following this, Merz spent over a decade in the private sector but never gave up on his long-standing ambition to become chancellor.
A free-market liberal, Merz advocates for cutting corporate taxes and reducing bureaucratic red tape to support Germany’s economy. His views were outlined in his 2008 book, Dare More Capitalism.
Merz has leveraged his extensive experience in the business world to position himself as a political outsider with valuable real-world expertise, contrasting with career politicians like Scholz, according to political scientist Antonios Souris of Berlin's Free University.
However, Merz's background and personal wealth have led to accusations of being out of touch with the average voter—an accusation he strongly rejects, asserting that he belongs to the "upper middle class."
