Who is Friedrich Merz, the man expected to become Chancellor of Germany?
2025-02-24 19:22:39
TiranaPost
Friedrich Merz, who is on track to become Germany's 10th chancellor since World War II after national elections, has said he will prioritize European unity and the continent's security as he confronts the new Trump administration and Russia's war in Ukraine.
Merz said on Monday that his conservative bloc had won enough seats in the national election to build a coalition with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
He added that talks would begin in the coming days and last several weeks.
The main issues would be foreign relations, migration and the economy, he said.
Merz has said he will not work with the far-right anti-immigration party AfD (Alternative for Germany), despite the party finishing second.
The 69-year-old conservative leader won Germany's national election with 28.5 percent of the vote.
"I am also aware of the scale of the task that now awaits us," he told supporters after his victory on Sunday night.
"The outside world is not waiting for us, and it is not waiting for prolonged coalition talks and negotiations."
Merz, a lawyer by profession, saw his career decline under former Chancellor Angela Merkel in the early 2000s and even left politics for several years. Despite his political experience, he has never served in government before.
