Main Points:
- Friedrich Merz stands to be Germany’s next chancellor in a government headed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
- Merz comes from a law and business background, having served as a judge and lawyer, and chairman of BlackRock Germany’s supervisory board.
- He is infamous for his center-right, business-friendly position.
A Seasoned Politician and Businessman
Friedrich Merz, a hard-line migration opponent and long-time critic of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, is strongly tipped to become Germany’s leader. His party, the CDU, with its coalition partner the CSU, is currently ahead of the polls at the time of writing ahead of the election.
In September, Merz was formally appointed the CDU candidate for chancellor in the forthcoming federal elections. He has led the CDU and the CDU-CSU parliamentary opposition since 2022. The CSU, a strong Bavarian party in Bavarian politics, aligns with the CDU at the national level.
From Law to Politics
Before going into politics, the 69-year-old Merz was a lawyer and served as a judge before transitioning into private practice with Mayer Brown LLP. Subsequently, he proceeded to serve as a senior corporate role with significant corporations such as BlackRock Germany and HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt. His list of boards includes EY Germany, Borussia Dortmund, and the Deutsche Börse.
Merz is married with three children and works in aviation as a licensed pilot, with two aircraft reportedly owned by him.
Early Political Aspirations
Merz came into politics at school level when he joined the youth wing of the CDU. In 1989, he had become a Member of the European Parliament, serving for five years before moving to the Bundestag, where he served for 15 years.
Throughout the early 2000s, Merz and Merkel were in perpetual conflict with one another over leadership roles within the CDU and the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. He initially won the group chairmanship before being relegated to deputy leader. He eventually resigned in 2004, an action largely attributed to Merkel’s growing dominance of the party.
Even today, there are tensions between the two, with Merkel recently berating Merz for joining forces with the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) on parliamentary tickets.
Policy Stances and Economic Vision
A pro-business, conservative, Merz favors lower corporate and income taxes, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and creating a favorable business environment. He aims to promote private investment and make Germany more attractive for new startups, including the creation of a ministerial role dedicated to digitalization and artificial intelligence.
Merz has expressed willingness to re-examine reforms to Germany’s debt brake regulation, which puts a cap on government borrowing and structural deficits. He has also been a keen critic of the economic policies of the current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, blaming Germany’s economic problems on them and calling for radical overhaul.
He has also criticized the government’s green policies, with his reasoning that economic development does not have to be curbed by environmental measures. While he does concede that climate change is a problem, he has reservations about certain proposals, such as the boosting of wind turbine capacity.
Foreign Policy and Defense
In the Munich Security Conference, Merz advocated for a stronger leadership for Germany in Europe. According to him, an end to the Ukraine war is needed as soon as possible and indicated that he is open to continuing further weapons shipments to Ukraine. However, he has been avoiding clarifying his stance on increasing Germany’s defense expenditure during NATO financing negotiations.
Controversial Immigration PositionMerz has been an avid proponent of tighter immigration policies, calling for increased border security, increased deportations, and improved asylum processing. He has blamed lax migration policies for violent assaults on individuals who are scheduled for deportation.
The row reached its peak in January when a non-binding motion, put forward by Merz, was backed by the AfD—the first such parliamentary majority backing in post-war German history from the far-right.
Now, as Germany is on the eve of an election, Merz’s leadership and policies will shape the future of the nation.
