Merz was born inBrilon in the state ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia inWest Germany. He joined theYoung Union in 1972. After finishing law school in 1985, Merz worked as a judge andcorporate lawyer before entering full-time politics in 1989 when he was elected to theEuropean Parliament. As a young politician in the 1970s and 1980s, Merz was a staunch supporter ofanti-communism, the dominant politicaldoctrine of West Germany and a core tenet of the CDU. He is seen as a representative of the traditional establishment conservative and pro-business wings of the CDU.[2] His bookMehr Kapitalismus wagen (Venturing More Capitalism) advocateseconomic liberalism. After serving one term he was elected to theBundestag, where he established himself as the leading financial policy expert in the CDU. He was elected chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in 2000, the same year asAngela 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 withCSU.[3][4]
After the2002 federal election, 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[5][4] 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 atMayer Brown, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, and compliance. He has served on the boards of numerous companies, includingBlackRock Germany. A corporate lawyer and reputed multimillionaire, Merz is also a licensedprivate pilot and owns two aeroplanes.[6][7] 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 electionsin 2018,[8][9] andJanuary 2021.[10][11] In September 2024, he became the Union's candidate for Chancellor of Germany ahead of the2025 German federal election. The CDU/CSU subsequently reached an agreement to form a coalition with theSPD.[12][13][14] Merz was elected chancellor on 6 May 2025, taking two rounds to clear, surprising many.[15]
Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz was born on 11 November 1955 to Joachim Merz and Paula Sauvigny inBrilon in the state ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia inWest Germany.[19] His father was a judge and a member of the CDU.[20] The Sauvigny family was a locally prominentpatrician family in Brilon, of French ancestry. His maternal grandfather was Brilon mayorJosef Paul Sauvigny [de], who joined theNazi Party in 1937.[21][22] Merz isCatholic.[23][24][25][26] He was raised in his mother's family homeSauvigny House [de] in Brilon. The house was announced for sale for€2million in 2021.[27][28] Two of his three siblings died relatively early: his younger sister died at the age of 21 in atraffic accident and his brother died ofmultiple sclerosis before the age of 50.[29]
'For German interests in Europe' – Merz as a young Christian Democrat in 1989
In 1972, at the age of seventeen, he became a member of the CDU's youth wing, theYoung Union.[19] In 1980 he became President of the Brilon branch of the Young Union.
In October 1998 Merz became vice-chairman and in February 2000 Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group (alongsideMichael Glos), succeedingWolfgang Schäuble. In this capacity, he was the opposition leader in the Bundestag duringChancellorGerhard Schröder's first term.
Ahead of the2002 elections,Edmund Stoiber included Merz in hisshadow cabinet for the Christian Democrats' campaign to unseat incumbent Schröder as chancellor. During the campaign, Merz served as Stoiber's expert for financial markets and the national budget.[36] After Stoiber's electoral defeat,Angela Merkel assumed the leadership of the parliamentary group; Merz again served as vice-chairman until 2004. From 2002 to 2004, he was also a member of the executive board of the CDU, again under the leadership of Merkel.[5]
In 2004, Merz gave a speech to local constituents criticising the "red" (Social Democratic) mayor of his hometown,Brilon, and called for the "red town hall" to be stormed. He noted that his grandfather,Josef Paul Sauvigny [de], had been mayor of Brilon. This statement drew criticism, for Sauvigny had been a mayor underNazi rule. While it is not known whether he was a formal member of theNazi Party at the time (though he joined later), Sauvigny remained mayor after theNazis seized power and repressed their political opponents. During his tenure, he praised the Nazi "national revolution" and renamed streets in his town afterAdolf Hitler andHermann Göring.[37][38][39][40]
In 2005 he was described by German media as a new member of theAndean Pact [de],[41] an originally secret network of influential CDU men formed in 1979 by then members of the Young Union during a trip to the South AmericanAndes region. The Andean pact stood in opposition to Merkel, especially in the five years before she became chancellor in 2005, after she had become chairperson of the CDU. Years before his admission, Merz had already a "fundamental loyalty" to his peers in the Andean Pact.[4] Between2005 and 2009, Merz was a member of the Committee on Legal Affairs. In 2006, he was one of nine parliamentarians who filed a complaint at theFederal Constitutional Court against the disclosure of additional sources of income; the complaint was ultimately unsuccessful.[42] By 2007, he announced he would not be running for political office in the2009 elections.
Private sector career (2009–2018)
Upon leaving politics, Merz worked as a corporate lawyer. From 2004 he was aSenior Counsel atMayer Brown'sDüsseldorf office,[43] where he worked on thecorporate finance team; before 2004 he was a senior counsel with Cornelius Bartenbach Haesemann.[44]
Between 2010 and 2011, Merz was commissioned by the state's Financial Market Stabilization Fund (Soffin) to lead the sale ofWestLB, a bank majority-controlled by the state ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia, to a private investor. He was criticized in the media for his multi-million-euro salary, as he received a fee of €5,000 per day for unsuccessful work, including Saturdays and Sundays, totaling €1,980,000 from taxpayers.[45][46]
His work as a lawyer and board member has made him a multimillionaire.[47] He has also taken on numerous positions on corporate boards, including as successor to deceased politicians:
Robert Bosch GmbH, member of International Advisory Committee (since 2011)
WEPA Hygieneprodukte GmbH, chairman of the supervisory board (since 2009)
Deutsche Rockwool, member of the Supervisory Board
On 25 February 2020, he announced his candidacy in thefirst 2021 CDU leadership election.[62] His closest competitors wereArmin Laschet andNorbert Röttgen.[63][64] After several postponements, the election of the new CDU party president took place at the party congress on 15–16 January 2021, which was the first time in the party's history that it was held fully online. In the first round, Merz received 385 votes, 5 more than Laschet. In the second round, Merz failed to win the party president's post for the second time, receiving 466 votes out of 1001 delegates, while Laschet received 521 votes.[65][66][67][68]
The same day, after losing the leadership election, Merz proposed to "join the current government and take over theMinistry for Economy". The ministry was already headed by his party colleaguePeter Altmaier at the time and the proposal was rebuffed.[69] Laschet was quick to placate Merz by recruiting him to his campaign team. Laschet justified this by saying that Merz was "without doubt a team player" and that his economic and financial expertise could provide crucial help in overcoming the huge challenge of the pandemic in a sustainable way.[70]
Ahead of the2021 German federal election,Patrick Sensburg, Merz's successor in his seat in the Bundestag, failed to secure his party's support for a new candidacy. Merz instead replaced him, returning to the Bundestag after a 12-year absence.[71]
During their short campaign, Merz's rivals positioned themselves asMerkel's heirs. Against them, Merz promised a decisive break with the centrist line Merkel had followed for 16 years.
In total, some 400,000 CDU members were able to vote online or by letter. By 17 December 2021, Merz had already won an absolute majority of 62.1 per cent of the membership in the first round of voting, so a second round of voting was not necessary. This meant that at his third attempt, he managed to win the party presidency. Asked for his reaction to the results of the vote, Merz said: "Quietly I just said to myself, 'WOW'; but only quietly, the winning marching songs are far from me".[75][76][77]
Merz was formally elected Chairman of the CDU by its 1001 congress delegates at the virtual federal party congress on 22 January 2022. In the end, 915 out of 983 delegates voted for him, winning 94.6% of the valid votes to become the leader of the largest opposition party in theBundestag. The vote was formally a so-called "digital pre-vote", the result of which was confirmed in writing by the delegates.[78][79][80]
Exit polls released following the2025 federal election showed CDU would win the most seats in the German parliament, albeit with its second worst result ever, thus ensuring Merz the role ofChancellor of Germany.[84][85]
In the aftermath of the election, theChristian Democratic Union (CDU) and theSocial Democratic Party (SPD) initiated coalition talks to form the next government. In the federal election the CDU, led by Merz, emerged as the strongest party but fell short of an absolute majority, necessitatingcoalition negotiations. The SPD, under the leadership ofLars Klingbeil, entered discussions to explore potential collaboration.[86] The expected CDU/CSU–SPD coalition would form what is historically referred to in German politics as aGroße Koalition (Grand Coalition, although that term describes the coalition of the two biggest parties, which the SPD is not since the 2025 election).[87]
Merz on the day of the signing of the coalition agreement, one day before his election as chancellor
On 5 March 2025, Merz proposed a significantincrease in defence spending.[88] He stated at the press conference: "Germany and Europe must quickly strengthen their defence capabilities. The CDU, CSU and SPD will table a motion to amend theBasic Law so thatdefence spending above 1% of GDP is exempt from thedebt brake".[89] This would allow Germany to increase its debt without limits in order to finance its military and provide military assistance to Ukraine.[90][91] Economists have warned that Merz's plan could triggerinflation and increase Germany'sgovernment debt.[92] Germany would pay approximately €71 billion in interest annually from 2035.[93] During negotiations for the next German cabinet, Merz and outgoing ChancellorOlaf Scholz reached an agreement to reform thedebt brake by amending Paragraphs 109, 115 and 143h of the Basic Law to exempt defence spending exceeding 1% of GDP.[94] Next to the defence spending Merz agreed to create a special fund of €500 billion for "investments in infrastructure and for additional investments to achieveclimate neutrality by 2045".[95] On 18 March 2025, German lawmakers approved theamendment to the Basic Law.[96] The change will allow the Merz government to spend €500 billion on infrastructure and green energy within 10 years[97][98] and to have defence spending above 1% of GDP to be exempted from the debt brake; this allows an unlimited debt-based financing of defence spending.[98][99][100] Merz, who had promised to not touch the debt brake rule prior to the German federal election,[101] justified the increase in defence spending by the threat fromRussia,[99] citing Putin's "war of aggression against Europe".[100] He called the decision "the first major step towards anew European defence community."[102] He also planned to increase military aid to Ukraine.[103] The trillion-euro spending package was approved before the21st Bundestag was constituted on 25 March 2025, whereThe Left andAfD would have the ability to block it.[104] A two-thirds majority was needed tochange the constitution.[105] The plan was supported by the CDU, CSU, SPD, and theGreens. Merz's fiscal package was welcomed by French PresidentEmmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary GeneralMark Rutte, and European Commission PresidentUrsula von der Leyen.[106]
On 9 April 2025, Merz, together with the CSU party leaderMarkus Söder and the SPD co-leadersLars Klingbeil andSaskia Esken, presented the coalition agreement for the plannedblack-red coalition.[107] This agreement was signed on 5 May 2025,[108] after internal party votes on a government coalition were approved in the three parties in the weeks before.[109][110]
Chancellor (2025–present)
On 6 May, when the first round of voting took place, Merz was not confirmed as the next chancellor when he unexpectedly failed to achieve anabsolute 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 German history a chancellor candidate did not receive the necessary votes in the first attempt.[111][112] A second round of voting took place on the same day,[113] resulting in him being elected as chancellor with 325 votes.[111] Merz andhis cabinet were sworn in on the same day of the voting.
One of his first official acts was the restructuring of the ministries and the creation of aMinistry for Digital and State Modernization.[114] On 7 May, he made his first foreign visit as Chancellor, meeting in France with PresidentEmmanuel Macron and jointly announcing the creation of a Franco-German Defence and Security Council[115] and afterwards meeting with Prime Minister of Poland,Donald Tusk, inWarsaw, emphasizing relations within theWeimar Triangle.[116][117]
Merz's chancellery has been described as very active abroad, and he has engaged in an unusual number of high-profile foreign visits in his first few months, emphasising European and Western unity.[118]
Merz has focused on economic, foreign, security, and family policies. He is seen as a representative of the pro-business wing of the CDU.[2] He is viewed as aneconomic liberal who makes some concessions toconservative party members who stress the need for social engagement. Merz embraces some conservativesocial policies regarding families, although theBerliner Morgenpost says he is not as "dogmatic" as in his early political career.[120] He is associated withneoliberalism.[121]
As a young politician in the 1970s and 1980s, he was a staunch supporter ofanti-communism, the dominant statedoctrine ofWest Germany and a core tenet of the CDU. His bookMehr Kapitalismus wagen (transl:Venturing More Capitalism) advocates economic liberalism.
Asylum, migration and integration
Merz says he sees limitingirregular migration as the most important task after the2025 German federal election.[122] Merz criticizedAngela Merkel's policy ofopen borders during the2015 European migrant crisis. In 2024, Merz called for asylum seekers to be comprehensively rejected directly at the border.[b] He believes this would send a signal that would lead to less irregular migration.[128][129] In a 2024 debate about the capacity to accept refugees into Germany, Merz referred to the statement bySaxony's Minister-PresidentMichael Kretschmer, who had spoken out in favour of accepting a maximum of 60,000–100,000 refugees per year. Merz explained that Kretschmer's statement roughly describes "what we can still achieve today with our integration power".[130]
In October 2023, following theOctober 7 attacks byHamas on Israel, Merz said Germany could not acceptPalestinian refugees fromGaza, stating, "We have enoughantisemitic young men in the country".[133] In December 2024, Merz called for deportations of illegalSyrian immigrants toSyria and a freeze on new admissions of refugees. As chancellor, he aims to "regularly deport" people toAfghanistan and Syria.[134]
Referring to the fact that around 80 percent of the 200,000 applicants fornaturalization in 2024 wanted to keep their first citizenship, Merz intends to abolish the fast naturalization (which made it possible for applicants to obtainGerman citizenship after living in Germany for three to five years)[135] that thetraffic light coalition implemented in 2024. Weeks before the 2025 election, he also advocated for adenaturalization (which would require an amendment to thebasic law)[136] in cases in which those withmultiple citizenship commit crimes after obtaining German citizenship.[137]
After the January2025 Aschaffenburg stabbing attack, perpetrated by anAfghan migrant who had noresidence permits in Germany (and after aseries of similar attacks within a few years), [de] Merz called the EU asylum rules – theDublin,Schengen, andEurodac agreements – "visibly dysfunctional", stating "Germany must, therefore, make use of its right to the primacy of national law".[138] He announced that under his leadership "there will be fundamental changes to the right of entry, asylum and residence in the Federal Republic of Germany".[139] Merz said that if he were elected chancellor, on the first day of his term in office, he would instruct theFederal Ministry of the Interior to "permanently control the German state borders", and, "to reject all attempts at illegal entry without exception".[This quote needs a citation] There would be "ade facto ban on entry into the Federal Republic of Germany for anyone who does not have valid entry documents".[140][141] He announced a tightening of detention for departure and deportation, and he wants more powers for thefederal police.[141] Regarding that, the federal police would be given the right to apply for arrest warrants. Those required to leave the country would no longer be allowed to move freely within the country, and the number of places for deportation detention would increase rapidly.[142]
Social policy
Merz opposed theBürgergeld (unemployment payment) and, like the CDU,[143] wants to see it abolished and replaced by another system calledNew Basic Security.[144] The trade unionver.di described CDU plans for basic security as "inhumane and unconstitutional".[145] Merz wants to altogether cancel unemployment payments to those who could work but do not. According to Merz, there are 1.7 million recipients who meet that definition.[128][146]
Merz has been accused of veering between inclusive rhetoric anddog whistling. On a TV talk show, he said that female teachers in German schools were experiencing a lack of respect from "littlepashas", apparently referring to sons ofMuslim parents, and allegedly made "xenophobic" remarks calling rejected asylum seekers "social tourists" who come to Germany to "get their teeth done". Weeks before, Merz had referred to someUkrainian refugees as "welfare tourists" and said that many had come to Germany seeking safety, only to then travel back and forth between both countries after securing social benefits, remarks that he later said he regretted. Merz had also complained about "problems with foreigners" and insisted on a GermanLeitkultur (lit.'lead culture'), a term that many argue calls for compulsoryassimilation.[147][148][149][150] In the 1990s, Merz was in the minority even in his conservative CDU when he voted against liberalizingGermany's abortion laws, againstpreimplantation genetic diagnosis and criminalizingmarital rape.[149][151]
Merz is a staunch supporter of theEuropean Union,NATO and theliberal international order. In 2018, he described himself as "a truly convinced European, a convinced transatlanticist, and a German open to the world" and said that "I stand for a cosmopolitan Germany whose roots lie inChristian ethics and the European Enlightenment and whose most important political allies are the democracies ofthe West. I gladly use this expression again: The democracies of the West".[152][16] He advocates a closer union and especially closer relations between Germany and France. In 2018, he co-authored an article in defence of the European project, which among other things called for "an army for Europe".[17]
Merz is known for hawkish stances on authoritarian countries, in particular Russia and China. In 2023, Merz called for Germany to involve key allies, especially France, in negotiations withChina as part of a rethinking of ties with the country that reflected a global "paradigm shift" in security and foreign policy.[153] He called China "an increasing threat to [German] security",[154] and criticized Scholz's decision to allow China'sCOSCO to take a stake in theport of Hamburg.[132]
In February 2025, Merz said that Germany would negotiate with France and the United Kingdom about extending theirnuclear umbrella to Germany.[155] Merz said, "We need to have discussions with both the British and the French—the two European nuclear powers—about whethernuclear sharing, or at least nuclear security from the U.K. and France, could also apply to us".[156] The move to reconvene the old Bundestag were criticized. Merz received international support for the financial package from NATO Secretary GeneralMark Rutte and EU Commission PresidentUrsula von der Leyen.[157]
Long considered one of the most pro-American politicians in Germany and "exceptionally pro-American for a European leader",[18] he has been the chairman of theAtlantik-Brücke association which promotes German-American friendship andAtlanticism. He counts former US PresidentRonald Reagan as one of his role models and has travelled to the US over 100 times.[158][159]
Merz has criticizedDonald Trump more harshly than Angela Merkel did and has especially criticized Trump'strade war against Europe.[160] In fall of 2024, he said with regards to relations to the US and Russia, he would try to make himself "a little more independent from the US", as the US would be "in election mode" and "not the regulatory power that we were actually used to".[161] When polls during the2024 German government crisis predicted that Merz would be the most likely to become the next chancellor, he said that Germany "must go from being a sleeping middle power to becoming a leading middle power again". Germany "never really articulated and enforced its interests well enough [...] The aim is not to benefit only one side, but to make arrangements that are good for both sides. Trump would call it a deal".[146] In January 2025 he said regarding the United States, "We Europeans must be united [...] and those who travel to Washington must not only represent their own interests but the interests of the whole European Union".[162]
In February 2025, Merz said Europe must urgently strengthen its defenses and potentially even find a replacement for NATO, within months.[163] Merz has criticized the Trump-led United States for alleged election interference after American government officials tried to bolster the right-wing populistAlternative for Germany (AfD) party, regarded as extremist byGermany's domestic intelligence agency, comparing it to Russian election interference.[164][165]
A week after the beginning of his chancellorship, Merz said at the summit of theEuropean Political Community that Europe has to "undertake all efforts to keep the Americans on our side" and "can't substitute or replace what the Americans still do for us."[166]
Russia and its invasion of Ukraine
Merz with Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 9 December 2024
While Merz, as opposition leader, had demanded that theGerman government of Scholz deliver GermanTaurus cruise missiles to Ukraine,[168] he himself said that he would not necessarily deliver Taurus cruise missiles if he were chancellor. As chancellor, he would provide them if Russia or Vladimir Putin did not comply with Germany's and other European countries' request to stop attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and on the condition that France and Great Britain, for their part, lift the range limitation on the weapons they delivered to Ukraine. Merz said he would, as chancellor, try to bring about a European decision on the question of whether to allow Ukraine to strike against targets deep within Russian territory with Western weapons. He said he would also signalPutin hiswillingness to talk beforehand.[161] In December 2024 he said that Germany is letting Ukraine fight with one arm strapped on its back. Germany should instead give Ukraine the possibility to defend itself effectively with weapons from Germany.[169] In May 2025, Merz supported purchasing long-range missiles for Ukraine, adding that there were "no more range limitations for weapons delivered to Ukraine" from Germany; this change was seen byPolitico as allowing Taurus missiles to be delivered to Ukraine in the future.[170] He added that "Ukraine has the right to use the weapons it receives, even beyond its own borders, against military targets on Russian territory".[171]
Merz is a staunch supporter ofIsrael.[172][173] However, after he was elected chancellor he has expressed "serious concern about Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip".[174][175] He does not see any role for Germany as a mediator in theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.[176] However, Merz has opined that the "two-state solution remains the right long-term goal for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinians' recognition of Israel's right to exist is a basic prerequisite on the way there".[177]
In 2023, he said, in response to the United States' admonition to Israel to abide by international law, theUS had a different relationship to Israelthan Germany, and that Germany has an obligation to help the country "without ifs and buts".[176] In October 2024, Merz successfully urged the German government to resume weapons deliveries to Israel, including spare parts for tanks.[178][179] He proposed stripping dual nationals of their German citizenship for protesting against Israel.[180][181]
In May 2025, Merz changed his tone, saying he no longer understands Israel's policy in Gaza.[187]
Following theIsraeli strikes on Iran on 13 June 2025, Merz stressed that "the goal must remain that Iran cannot develop nuclear weapons", and reaffirmed Israel's "right to defend its existence and the security of its citizens."[188] Merz said in an interview to the German public television networkZDF on 17 June 2025, on the sidelines of theG7 summit in Canada, that "This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us."[189] On 23 June 2025, Merz voiced support forUS strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.[190][191]
In August 2025, Merz announced that Germany won’t authorize any exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza “until further notice” in response to the decision byNetanyahu’s Cabinet to take overGaza City.[192] Merz's decision was criticized by some German politicians.[193] In September 2025, Merz said that Germany stands "firmly" on Israel's side, but its military operations in Gaza are "disproportionate".[194] He also said that Germany does not plan to recognize aPalestinian state and does not consider the situation in Gaza to be genocide.[195]
In April 2023, Merz declared that everyone in the CDU takes the issue ofclimate change very seriously. However, he went on to claim that the issue of climate change is overrated in the political debate and that the German population does not see the problem as significant as politicians do. Merz went on to deny that time is running out for successful climate change measures and that the country will be on the right track if it makes the right decisions over the next decade.[197][198]
In November 2018, he reiterated that the CDU must clearly distance itself from theAlternative for Germany (AfD), reiterating allegations that the latter is openlyNational Socialist and has antisemitic undertones.[201] In 2019, he said it was right for the CDU to refuse co-operation with the AfD.[202] However, in the same year Merz spoke in favour of a "more calm approach" to the AfD: "I would have long since elected an AfD vice president in theBundestag (federal parliament). [...] This party was elected with 12.6 percent. It has neither been banned nor classified as unconstitutional. It has millions of voters behind it who should not be made to play the victim".[202] In December 2021, shortly before taking over the party chairmanship, he said: "The state associations [of the CDU], especially in the east, are getting a crystal clear message from us: If anyone raises a hand to work with the AfD, then a party exclusion procedure will take place the next day".[203] However, Merz did not take action against the steadily increasing local cooperation between CDU politicians and AfD politicians from the following year onwards, partially due to the AfD's rising electoral performance. In June 2023, he declared that cooperation between the two parties would only be prohibited in "legislative bodies", by which he meant theEU, federal andstate levels. A month later, after being criticized over an apparent failure to implement his "announcement" from December 2021, he reiterated his differentiation regardingpolitical levels and said that in local parliaments, "of course [...] we must look for ways to jointly shape the city, the state and the district".[204][205][206] Merz was criticized by large parts of his own party, who feared a crumbling of thefirewall against the far right.[207][206]Minister-President of Saxony,Michael Kretschmer (CDU), however, declared that a refusal of cross-party cooperation in substantive decisions at the local level was not sustainable in a democracy.[208] In June 2023, Merz retracted his promise in 2018 to halve the AfD, saying that his party in the opposition could not halve the AfD if the government counteracted by "strengthening it" with its policies.[209][210][211]
Before thefederal election, Merz repeatedly ruled out any possibility of a coalition between CDU and AfD.[162][212][213] Merz passionately stated in early January 2025, that under his leadership "there won't be a cooperation between the CDU and the AfD" – stating that the CDU would "sell its soul" in doing so – and that he "ties his destiny as party chairman" to this commitment.[162] The CDU later that month, aftera deadly knife attack perpetrated by anAfghan migrant, who had noresidence permit, issued a motion regarding migration into the federal parliament, which attained a majority due to the AfD voting alongside the CDU.[141][214] With this motion, Merz ignored his own proposal, that he uttered in November 2024, to only put questions to the vote that would find a majority without the AfD.[215][216] Merz claimed that the Union has "not spoken to the AfD, does not discuss things with them", or "compare texts", but that it proposes what it "believes to be right in the matter", insisting that putting a motion to a vote in the Bundestag did not constitute co-operation with the AfD.[212][217] The Bundestag went on to reject the CDU's proposed legislation a few days later, largely due to a dozen CDU legislators abstaining, a decision seen to be sparked by the AfD-related controversy.[218][219]
After theFederal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence agency, classified the federal branch of the AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavour" just days before Merz' election as Chancellor of Germany,[220][221] Merz announced that his government will analyse the expert opinion by the BfV on the AfD before deciding on how to proceed.[222]
Secondary activities as a member of federal parliament
Merz has been known for his many secondary jobs over several legislative periods. As a member of theBundestag (federal parliament of Germany), Merz had a total of 18 secondary jobs in the 14th legislative period (2002–2005)[223] and at least 11 secondary jobs in the 15th legislative period (2005–2009).[224] In 2006 alone, Merz was represented on the boards of eight different companies.[225][226] In 2007,Manager Magazine wrote about Merz's secondary jobs:[227][226]
Merz probably earns a nice six-figure sum annually for his work in the law firm. For the year 2006, a conservative estimate shows that Merz's additional income, apart from his lawyer's salary, amounts to a quarter of a million euros.
His many secondary activities raised concerns over whether Merz takes his mandate as a member of the Bundestag seriously and thoroughly.[228] In 2007, Merz wrote a letter to his voters in an attempt to defend himself against criticism of his secondary activities.[229]
In 2021, before thefederal election and 12 years after he left the Bundestag in 2009, Merz announced that he would no longer pursue any "professional activities outside of politics" if he were to be re-elected to the Bundestag.[230]
Lawsuit against disclosure of additional income
In 2005, the law was amended to require the public disclosure of income from secondary activities of members of parliament. Merz reportedly had 18,[223] 11,[231] or, according to the management of theBundestag, 14[citation needed] secondary activities in addition to his parliamentary work. Together with eight other members of the Bundestag, Merz filed a lawsuit against the disclosure of their secondary income at theFederal Constitutional Court.[223] Among other arguments, the plaintiffs claimed that the disclosure requirement would encourage MPs to pursue career politics, potentially distancing them from real-life experiences.[223] In July 2007, the Federal Constitutional Court rejected the lawsuit in two parts. It ruled unanimously that the political mandate must be central to parliamentary activities. In a tied 4–4 vote, it upheld the disclosure requirement and enforcement mechanism, arguing that transparency to voters about potential conflicts of interest ensures the independence of the Bundestag.[232][233]
Millionaire and middle-class debate
In November 2018, when asked in an interview with thetabloid mediaBild, Merz said that he was a millionaire (without distinguishing between income and wealth millionaires) and thus would belong in his understanding to the uppermiddle class. He later specified that he, at that time, earned "around one million euros gross" per year.[234] These statements met with a broad public pushback and sparked wider criticism in Germany.[235][234] Journalists, economists and financial advisors in Germany placed Merz in the upper class.[236] According to theGerman Federal Bank, at the time in question, a total net worth of over€722,000 put an individual in the top 5 percent of the German population by wealth. Merz's private assets include real estate and two aircraft.[237][7][234]
LGBT+ people
Merz has made statements aboutLGBT+ people that have been perceived as insensitive. When asked in 2001 about Berlin's then mayorKlaus Wowereit coming out asgay, he said "as long as he doesn't come near me, I don't care".[238] In November 2018, Merz said that introducingsame-sex marriage in Germany was the right thing to do.[239] In September 2020, Merz was asked if he would have reservations about a gay chancellor, and said "concerning the question of sexual orientation, as long as it is within the scope of the law and does not concern children—at this point I reach my absolute limits—it is not an issue for public discussion".[240] He clarified after an outcry that he had not meant to link homosexuality with pedophilia.[149]
Other activities
Deutsche Nationalstiftung, Member of the Senate[241]
Peace of Westphalia Prize, Member of the Jury[242]
Bayer Foundation for German and International Labour and Business Law, Member of the Board of Trustees (1998–2002)
KfW, Member of the supervisory board (2003–2004)[243]
Merz is married to judge Charlotte Merz (née Gass). They have three children together and reside inArnsberg in theSauerland region.[244][245] He is the first chancellor in 27 years (sinceHelmut Kohl) to have biological children (althoughGerhard Schröder adopted a daughter from Russia in July 2004).[246][247] Their son, born in 1981, holds a doctorate in philosophy, their elder daughter is a physician, and their younger daughter is a lawyer.[248] Merz has seven grandchildren.[249] In 2005, Merz and his wife established the Friedrich und Charlotte Merz Stiftung, a foundation supporting projects in the education sector.[250] In addition to his native language Merz also speaks English and French.[251]
In 2018, Merz rejected the Ludwig Erhard Prize, citing objections to publications by the chairman of theLudwig Erhard Foundation,Roland Tichy, considered by some to be on the extreme right.[252]
^The right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution is a human right, as defined in article 14 of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights by theUnited Nations (UN).[123] Germany became a fullmember of the UN on 18 September 1973. Furthermore, article 16a of theGerman constitution states that politically persecuted persons have the right to asylum (Politisch Verfolgte genießen Asylrecht),[124] and as Chancellor of Germany, Merz has sworn to "uphold and defend the constitution" ("das Grundgesetz [...] wahren und verteidigen"),[125] as set out in article 56 of that same constitution,[126] just likeOlaf Scholz, the previous Chancellor of Germany, had.[127]
References
^Kleiner, Stefan; Knöbl, Ralf; Mangold, Max (2023).Duden – das Aussprachewörterbuch (8th ed.). Berlin: Dudenverlag.ISBN978-3-411-04068-1.
^abcNeukirch, Ralf; Schult, Christoph (29 June 2003)."Der Männerbund" [The Men's Association].Der Spiegel (in German).ISSN2195-1349.Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved3 December 2024.
^Sorge, Nils-Viktor (20 May 2014)."Ex-CDU-Star Friedrich Merz: Ganz unten" [Ex CDU star Friedrich Merz and the career setback].manager-magazin.de (in German).Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved12 December 2021.
^"Laschet zum neuen CDU-Chef gewählt" [Laschet elected new CDU leader].tagesschau.de (in German). 16 January 2021.Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved16 January 2021.
^"Merz bejubelt rechten Großvater" [Merz applauds right-wing grandfather].Die Tageszeitung: Taz (in German). 16 January 2004. p. 1.Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved22 January 2021.
^Claus Jacobi,Im Rad der Geschichte: Deutsche Verhältnisse, pg. 166, Herbig, 2002.
^Andreas Halbach (20 May 2014)."Wie sozial ist Friedrich Merz? – Der Kandidat" [How social is Friedrich Merz? – The candidate](PDF) (in German). ZDF. Frontal.Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved6 July 2025.
^"CDU wählt Friedrich Merz zum neuen Chef" [CDU elects Friedrich Merz as new leader].Salzburger Nachrichten (in German). 21 January 2022.Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved22 January 2022.
^abDettmer, Markus; Diekmann, Florian; Fiedler, Maria; Gebauer, Matthias; Hickmann, Christoph; Reiermann, Christian; Schaible, Jonas (17 November 2024)."(S+) Die Agenda des CDU-Chefs: Wie ein Kanzler Merz Deutschland verändern könnte" [(S+) The CDU leader's agenda: How a Chancellor Merz could change Germany].Der Spiegel (in German).ISSN2195-1349.Archived from the original on 15 November 2024. Retrieved18 November 2024.
^"Die Neue Grundsicherung" [The New Basic Security Plan].arbeitsmarkt-und-sozialpolitik.verdi.de (in German). 9 April 2024.Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved10 November 2024.
^Lilienström, Sven (21 April 2024)."Friedrich Merz, Vorsitzender der CDU Deutschlands" [Friedrich Merz, Chairman of the CDU Germany].Gesichter der Demokratie (in German).Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved10 November 2024.
^Dunz, Kristina (31 January 2025)."Schämt Euch!" [SHAME ON YOU!!].www.rnd.de (in German).Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved22 February 2025.
^"Merz' Gesetz ist gescheitert" [Merz's law has failed].Die Tageszeitung: Taz (in German). 31 January 2025.Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved7 February 2025.
^"Senate".Deutsche Nationalstiftung.Archived from the original on 18 July 2017.
^"Members of the Jury" [Economic Society for Westphalia and Lippe].Wirtschaftliche Gesellschaft für Westfalen und Lippe.Archived from the original on 21 July 2018.
^Achim Gieseke (2 July 2016)."Mit großer Liebe zum Beruf" [With great love for the profession].Westfalenpost.Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved18 November 2018.
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