Back فريدرش ميرتس Arabic فريدرش ميرتس ARZ Фрыдрых Мерц Byelorussian Фрыдрых Мэрц BE-X-OLD Friedrich Merz Czech Фридрих Мерц CV Friedrich Merz Danish Friedrich Merz German Φρίντριχ Μερτς Greek Friedrich Merz Spanish

Friedrich Merz

Friedrich Merz
MdB
Merz in 2024
Leader of the Christian Democratic Union
Incumbent
Assumed office
31 January 2022
General SecretaryMario Czaja
Carsten Linnemann
DeputySilvia Breher
Andreas Jung
Michael Kretschmer
Carsten Linnemann
Karin Prien
Preceded byArmin Laschet
Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 February 2022
ChancellorOlaf Scholz
Preceded byRalph Brinkhaus
In office
29 February 2000 – 22 September 2002
ChancellorGerhard Schröder
Preceded byWolfgang Schäuble
Succeeded byAngela Merkel
Leader of the CDU/CSU in the Bundestag
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 February 2022
First DeputyAlexander Dobrindt
Chief WhipThorsten Frei
Preceded byRalph Brinkhaus
In office
29 February 2000 – 22 September 2002
First DeputyMichael Glos
Chief WhipHans-Peter Repnik
Preceded byWolfgang Schäuble
Succeeded byAngela Merkel
Member of the Bundestag
for Hochsauerlandkreis
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 October 2021
Preceded byPatrick Sensburg
In office
10 November 1994 – 27 October 2009
Preceded byFerdinand Tillmann
Succeeded byPatrick Sensburg
Member of the European Parliament
for North Rhine-Westphalia
In office
25 July 1989 – 19 July 1994
Personal details
Born
Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz

(1955-11-11) 11 November 1955 (age 69)
Brilon, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Political partyChristian Democratic Union (since 1972)
Spouse
Charlotte Merz
​
(m. 1981)​
Children3
ResidenceArnsberg
EducationUniversity of Bonn
University of Marburg
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Allegiance West Germany
Branch/service Bundeswehr
Years of service1975–1976
Unit German Army (Heer) /
Self-propelled artillery

Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz (German: [mɛʁts]; born 11 November 1955) is a German conservative politician[1][2] serving as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 31 January 2022 and as leader of the parliamentary group of CDU/CSU (Union) as well as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bundestag since 15 February 2022.[3] In September 2024 Merz became the Union's designated candidate for Chancellor of Germany for the 2025 federal election.[4][5][6]

Merz joined the Young Union in 1972 and is reputed to be a member of the Andean Pact, a powerful network formed by politically ambitious members of the Young Union in 1979 during a trip to the Andes. After finishing law school in 1985, he worked as a judge and corporate lawyer before entering full-time politics in 1989 when he was elected to the European Parliament. After serving one term he was elected to the Bundestag, where he established himself as the leading financial policy expert in the CDU. 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, and at the time they were chief rivals for the leadership of the party, which led the opposition together with CSU.[7]

After the 2002 federal election, CDU party leader Angela Merkel claimed the parliamentary group chairmanship for herself, while Merz was elected deputy parliamentary group leader. In December 2004, he resigned from this office, thereby giving up the years-long power struggle with Merkel[8] and gradually withdrew from politics, focusing on his legal career and leaving parliament entirely in 2009, until his return to parliament in 2021. In 2004 he became a senior counsel with Mayer Brown, where he has focused on mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, and compliance. He has served on the boards of numerous companies, including BlackRock Germany. In 2018, he announced his return to politics. He was elected CDU leader in December 2021, assuming the office in January 2022. He had failed to win the position in two previous leadership elections in 2018,[9][10] and January 2021.[11][12]

As a young politician in the 1970s and 1980s, he was a staunch supporter of anti-communism, the dominant state doctrine of West Germany and a core tenet of the CDU. Merz has described himself as socially conservative and economically liberal, and is seen as a representative of the traditional establishment conservative and pro-business wings of the CDU.[13] His book Mehr Kapitalismus wagen (Venturing More Capitalism) advocates economic liberalism. He has been chairman of the Atlantik-Brücke association which promotes German-American understanding and Atlanticism, and is a staunch supporter of the European Union and NATO, having described himself as "a truly convinced European, a convinced "transatlanticist".[14] Merz advocates a closer union and "an army for Europe".[15]

Merz is Catholic and of French Huguenot descent on his mother's side. His wife, Charlotte Merz, is a judge; they have three children. A corporate lawyer and reputed multimillionaire, he is also a licensed private pilot and owns two airplanes.[16][17]

  1. ^ Taylor, Paul (9 November 2024). "The collapse of Germany's government will delight Trump – and his European friends". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  2. ^ "German opposition leader Merz says debt brake can be reformed". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Merz takes over as center-right opposition leader in Germany". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  4. ^ ""Ich habe ein Versprechen gegeben, dass sich 2021 nicht wiederholen wird"". Der Spiegel. 17 September 2024. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  5. ^ "German opposition Christian Democrats tap leader Friedrich Merz as their candidate for chancellor". AP News. 17 September 2024. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  6. ^ "German conservative leader announces chancellor candidacy". Politico. 17 September 2024. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  7. ^ Huggler, Justin (31 October 2018). "Merkel rival Friedrich Merz emerges as surprise early frontrunner to succeed chancellor". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  8. ^ Weiland, Severin (8 February 2007). "Revelation: How Merkel and Merz's enmity began". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  9. ^ Berlin, Kommentar von Stefan Braun (2018). "Die große Zeitenwende ist eine Chance für die CDU". sueddeutsche.de (in German). ISSN 0174-4917. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  10. ^ Connolly, Kate (7 December 2018). "Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer elected Merkel's successor as CDU leader". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Laschet zum neuen CDU-Chef gewählt". tagesschau.de (in German). 16 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Pragmatic governor Laschet elected to lead Merkel's party". Associated Press. 16 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021.
  13. ^ Escritt, Thomas (31 October 2018). "Conservative contenders vie to overturn Merkel's centrism". Reuters. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018.
  14. ^ WELT (31 October 2018). "Merz will CDU-Chef werden: "Wir brauchen Aufbruch und Erneuerung, keinen Umsturz"". Die Welt. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018 – via www.welt.de.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference www.handelsblatt.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Sorge, Nils-Viktor (20 May 2014). "Ex CDU star Friedrich Merz and the career setback". www.manager-magazin.de (in German). Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Does Friedrich Merz really have two planes?". stern.de (in German). 28 November 2018. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018.

Developed by StudentB