Friedrich Merz

Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz (born 11 November 1955) is a German lawyer and politician who has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2025. He is the Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 2022. He was a Member of the European Parliament 1989 to 1994, a member of the Bundestag from 1994 to 2009, and as the chairman of CDU/CSU parliamentary group from 2000 to 2002.

Early life
Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz was born on 11 November 1955 in Brilon in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in then-West Germany. Merz is Roman Catholic.Claus Jacobi, Im Rad der Geschichte: Deutsche Verhältnisse, pg. 166, Herbig, 2002. Merz was raised in his mother's family home Sauvigny House in Brilon.

Merz served his military service as a soldier in the German Army in 1975. From 1976, he studied law, first at the University of Bonn, later at the University of Marburg. After finishing law school in 1985, he became a judge in Saarbrücken.

Political career
Merz joined the Young Union in 1972. After finishing law school in 1985, he worked as a judge and corporate lawyer before entering politics in 1989 when he was elected to the European Parliament. After serving one term, he was elected to the Bundestag.

In 2000 he was elected chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the same year as Angela Merkel was elected chairwoman of the CDU. During this time, he had a rivalry with Merkel.

After the 2002 federal election, CDU party leader Angela Merkel became the parliamentary group leader, while Merz was elected deputy parliamentary group leader. In December 2004, he resigned from this office. Afterwards, he left politics to focus on his legal career. He would return to parliament in 2021.

CDU leadership campaigns
In 2018 he announced his candidacy in the CDU leadership election in December 2018. He lost the election to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. In February 2020, he announced his second candidacy for the party's 2021 leadership election. He lost the race on 16 January 2021 after losing to Armin Laschet in the second round.

On 15 November 2021, Merz announced his candidacy in the second 2021 CDU leadership election to replace Armin Laschet. He ran against Norbert Röttgen and Helge Braun. On 17 December 2021, he was elected leader in a landslide victory.

2025 federal election

In September 2024 Merz became the Union's designated candidate for Chancellor of Germany for the 2025 federal election.

On election day during the 2025 federal election, the CDU won the most seats in the German parliament, however it was with the party's second worst result ever, however Merz would become the Chancellor of Germany.

Chancellor of Germany
After the election, on 9 April 2025, Merz, together with the CSU party leader Markus Söder and the SPD co-leaders Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken, presented the coalition agreement for the planned black-red coalition. This agreement was signed on 5 May 2025, after internal party votes on a government coalition were approved in the three parties in the weeks before.

On 6 May, when the first round of voting took place, Merz was not confirmed as the next chancellor when he failed to win an absolute majority in parliament with only 310 votes in favour of his leadership out of a required 316 out of 630 votes. It was the first time in post-war German history a chancellor candidate did not receive the necessary votes in the first round of voting. A second round of voting took place on the same day, resulting in him being elected as chancellor.

Personal life
Merz is Catholic and of French Huguenot descent on his mother's side. His wife, Charlotte Merz, is a judge; they have three children. He is also a licensed private pilot and owns two airplanes.

In March 2020, Merz was tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.Welt.de: Friedrich Merz mit Coronavirus infiziert, March 17, 2020

Merz speaks German, French and English.

References

Other websites

Official website
German article about his political comeback / die-wirtschaftsnews

Category:1955 births
Category:Living people
Category:Members of the German Bundestag
Category:MEPs for Germany
Category:Politicians from North Rhine-Westphalia
Category:Politicians of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Category:Leaders of the Opposition (Germany)
Category:Chancellors of Germany
Category:Current national leaders