Friedrich Merz

February 24, 2025 2:28 PM

Friedrich Merz and his long march to the German chancellery

Friedrich Merz, a man who has never held a government role, is preparing to take the reins in Germany just as the country faces its biggest economic and diplomatic crises in decades and Europe looks urgently for a new generation of leaders for an era of transatlantic tension. Merz's conservatives came first in Germany's national election on Sunday, according to projected results, well ahead of their closest rival, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), giving him a mandate to form a coali...

February 24, 2025 9:04 AM

German election victor Friedrich Merz plans pivot from US as coalition talks loom

Friedrich Merz, set to become Germany's next chancellor after his opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, vowed to help give Europe "real independence" from the U.S. as he prepared to cobble together a government. Merz, 69, faces complex and lengthy coalition negotiations after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to a historic second place in a fractured vote after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's unloved three-way alliance. Mainstream parties...

February 21, 2025 10:57 PM

Germany set for tricky coalition building, poll shows ahead of election

Germany's mainstream political parties lost support while the far-right AfD gained ground in one of the last polls published before the election on Sunday, pointing to likely tricky coalition building that could drag on for months. The vote comes at an awkward moment, leaving a leadership vacuum at the heart of Europe just as it seeks to tackle a confrontational U.S. Donald Trump whose apparent desire to disengage from the region and mend ties with Russia raises questions about the solidity of ...