High-flying conservative at summit of German politics

[Pelican Press 0]

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High-flying conservative at summit of ******* politics

Friedrich Merz is set to become Germany’s next chancellor on Tuesday, fulfilling a decades-long dream of rising to the summit of ******* politics.

His conservative bloc will govern in coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), taking the reins less than three months after February’s parliamentary elections.

It’s a personal triumph for the 69-year-old Merz, a keen amateur pilot who staged an emphatic comeback in recent years after once being largely written off from the ******* political stage.

A qualified lawyer and economy policy expert, Merz grew up in the Sauerland region of West Germany and entered politics as a member of the European Parliament in 1989.

Having climbed through the ranks of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he tangled with former chancellor Angela Merkel for the party leadership at the turn of the millennium.

His proposals for a radically simplified taxation system, famously outlined on a beer mat, made him a household name in Germany, but he was pushed out after losing the power struggle with Merkel.

During Merkel’s 16 years as chancellor, the father-of-three built his personal wealth as a legal consultant and an executive at investment giant BlackRock.

And when his rival announced in 2018 that she would retire following the next elections, Merz tenaciously fought his way back into the limelight, eventually winning the party leadership.

Merz is credited with rebuilding the CDU after it lost power to the Social Democrats of Olaf Scholz in 2021.

He also sought to mend ties with the CDU’s Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), partly by taking a tougher line on migration policy.

In the weeks leading up to February’s election, Merz was widely criticized for accepting support from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to push through non-binding proposals on a migration crackdown in parliament.

But he emerged from the dispute unscathed despite mass protests across the country and his bloc secured a clear victory in the election to Germany’s lower house, or Bundestag, finishing on 28.5%.

Merz has formed a successful partnership with SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil, overcoming a contentious election campaign to emerge with a coalition agreement in April that has since been approved by the three parties.

The pair, along with the Greens, rushed through a landmark constitutional reform in March to allow for a hike in spending on defence alongside a massive €500 billion ($567 billion) package for infrastructure and climate protection measures.

The new ******* government takes office at a time of stunning developments on the international stage, with US President Donald Trump’s administration pursuing a rapprochement with Moscow and seemingly intent on starting a global trade conflict.

Leading Germany through the shockwaves is sure to be a career-defining challenge for Merz, who has never held a government post despite his long political journey.

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