Who is Friedrich Merz, the winner of Germany's elections?

BerlinAlthough he was already the candidate who had received the most attention because he was leading the polls and everything pointed to him becoming the new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz grabbed all the headlines in the middle of the campaign. With a risky bet, which has cost him internal criticism even from former chancellor Angela Merkel and massive mobilizations, he accepted the votes of the extreme right in the Parliament and created a breach in the cordon sanitaire. As the polls had already predicted, this gesture has not ended up costing him votes: the Christian Democratic Party CDU, according to the first projections, would have won the elections with 29% of the votes (almost five points more than in 2021). "We have won the election," Merz said in his first speech at the conservatives' electoral headquarters.

He is known for having a sharp tongue and nerve, and also for being a persistent politician. After two failed attempts, he managed to lead Germany's traditional centre-right party, which is running in coalition with its Bavarian partner, the CSU. The third time's the charm, they say. Merz has promised that he will not agree on forming a government or any law with the AfD and wants to join "those who help to make the economic and migration transition that the country needs." He personifies the CDU's shift to the right and has promised permanent border controls to limit the entry of immigrants. "from day one" if he is elected chancellor.

For several years, he has been in business as a lawyer and has made a lot of money. He was a board member of the American investment giant BlackRock. At such a delicate time for the economy – the second concern of Germans after immigration – many think that this experience has helped him win votes.

He has a hard time connecting with women. He has a classic conservative discourse and does not speak of feminism as a priority. In addition, he has a team made up only of men. Merz was confident that this would not prevent him from winning, as happened in the case of Donald Trump, whom he will have to face, on behalf of Europe, if he finally finds the formula to create a coalition that can form a government.

Message in Europe and in the world

Olaf Scholz accuses him of being a multimillionaire far removed from the problems of the "still normal" (Ordinary people). Merz is not afraid to say that he wants to reform the welfare state and that Germans should work more. "We must put our labour market in order. We have a special type of subsidy for people who do not work, the so-called pension money"That is a big mistake. We will change the system," she said at the Davos Forum. She also criticised Scholz for isolating Germany and promised that with him at the helm the country would once again play a leading role in Europe and the world. The times are turbulent. Long coalition talks are underway; we must do it quickly so that we can do what is needed at home and be strong and present in Europe and so that the world sees that Germany has a government that can be trusted."