16 hours ago · BERLIN (AP) — Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday issued rare public criticism of her successor as the country’s center-right leader, ... Germany’s center-left governing parties have cast doubt on whether conservative leader Friedrich Merz can still be trusted not to bring the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, into ...

10 hours ago · Friedrich Merz, the front-runner to become Germany’s next chancellor, relied on votes from the far-right AfD to push an anti-migration motion through parliament. January 30, 2025 at 11:35 a.m ...

Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef "Friedrich" Merz (German:; born 11 November 1955) is a German politician [1] [2] who has served as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 31 January 2022 and led the CDU/CSU (Union) parliamentary group as well as been Leader of the Opposition in the Bundestag since 15 February 2022.

21 hours ago · Friedrich Merz’s high-stakes gamble to enlist the far right in pressuring the German government to tighten migration laws has upended the campaign three weeks before general elections.

Jan 22, 2025 · BERLIN ― Friedrich Merz, the candidate leading the race to become Germany’s next chancellor, is all but running against his conservative predecessor: Angela Merkel. At a campaign rally in the northern Germany city of Flensburg, Merz presented himself as the antithesis of Merkel, a fellow Christian Democrat and a four-term chancellor ...

Dec 18, 2024 · Who Is Friedrich Merz, a Leading Candidate to Be Germany’s Next Chancellor? If polls are correct, Olaf Scholz’s successor could be the 69-year-old leader of the Christian Democratic Union.

Dec 2, 2024 · BERLIN ― Friedrich Merz, Germany’s likely next chancellor, is campaigning on his own version of MAGA, vowing to restore his country’s lost sense of greatness in profoundly insecure times.

Sep 17, 2024 · BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s opposition center-right Christian Democratic Union announced Tuesday that it has chosen its leader, Friedrich Merz, to be its candidate for chancellor in next year’s national election. The decision sets the stage for a possible challenge of Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the federal election scheduled for September 2025.

Dec 11, 2024 · Berlin correspondent who has investigated anti-vaxxers and COVID treatment practices, reported on refugee camps and covered warlords' trials in The Hague.

Nov 15, 2024 · When Friedrich Merz suddenly re-entered politics after a near 10-year absence, some described it as the Second Coming. Others said it was the return of the undead.