Friedrich Merz emerges as Germany's new leader amid EU turmoil
Friedrich Merz, a former corporate lawyer, has become head of Germany’s ruling party and now faces a fragile coalition while Europe grapples with external pressures.
Friedrich Merz, once a rival to Angela Merkel within the Christian Democratic Union, re-entered politics in 2018 and secured the party’s top post after three attempts. Under his leadership the CDU achieved a narrow win with 28.5% of the vote, obliging him to form an uneasy alliance with centre-left partners to keep the far-right Alternative for Germany at bay. Merz, a former BlackRock Germany chairman, has framed the current European crisis as a moment to reduce reliance on the United States, denouncing recent U.S. meddling in German elections.
He also highlighted the dual pressure from Washington and Moscow, and the internal split between the affluent west and struggling east. While critics note his past flirtation with right-wing rhetoric, Merz insists he will not accommodate extremist forces or American populists. Observers remain skeptical about his capacity to steer Europe through these challenges.
