Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz (German: [mɛɐts]; born 11 November 1955) is a German politician who has served as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since January 2022 and led the CDU/CSU (Union) parliamentary group as well as being Leader of the Opposition in the Bundestag since February 2022.

3 days ago · Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate and leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU), speaks to delegates at a CDU party congress in Berlin on February 3.

1 day ago · For weeks, Friedrich Merz appeared to be cruising towards his life-long dream of becoming Germany’s chancellor by focusing on a pro-business pitch to revive Europe’s largest economy.

6 days ago · BERLIN — Friedrich Merz, the conservative frontrunner to become Germany’s next chancellor, suffered a major political defeat on Friday as his controversial immigration bill backed by the far right was rejected in the Bundestag, with some members of his own party refusing to support the measure.

3 days ago · BERLIN (AP) — The front-runner in Germany’s upcoming election said Monday that the far-right Alternative for Germany is his “most important opponent” and his party will “never” work with it, following a week in which he was accused of breaking a taboo on dealing with the far right.. Center-right opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s Union …

Jan 14, 2025 · Merz and his conservative alliance are polling at 31 percent support, putting them in pole position to lead Germany’s next coalition government after the country’s Feb. 23 election. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is polling second with 21 percent support.

Dec 18, 2024 · Friedrich Merz’s long and winding journey towards the German chancellery is a tale of the federal republic’s past and present. Marinated in the determinedly pro-European, pro-Western politics of Helmut Kohl’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the 1990s, he became co-leader of its Bundestag group in 2000, before Angela Merkel elbowed him ...

Dec 30, 2024 · Friedrich Merz is likely to be the next chancellor of Germany. But the CDU leader will usher in a generational shift, moving the country away from its Europe-first approach and towards new intergovernmental alliances.

Sep 17, 2024 · Friedrich Merz, the head of Germany's Christian Democrats, and Markus Soeder, the head of their Bavarian sister party, said on Tuesday they had agreed Merz would become chancellor...

Nov 17, 2024 · Who is Friedrich Merz? Merz, 69, is German politician who also had a stint as a businessman. He began his political journey in 1972 by joining the Young Union, the youth wing of the CDU. He was elected to the European Parliament in 1989, serving until 1994.