Merz's instincts are to divide, just when Germany needs a unifier

A few weeks before Germany's federal election in late February, Friedrich Merz was forced to backpedal after a daring gambit went awry.

- Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes

His attempt to win votes by forcing through a hardline crackdown on migration had caused a rebellion in his own A Christian Democratic party (CDU). Instead of positioning himself as a strong leader, he undermined the entire German political establishment.

Merz's strategy involved breaking a taboo by relying on far-right nationalists to pass legislation for the first time in Germany's postwar history. The move fractured the normally consensus-driven centrist parties in the Bundestag, sparked protests and led to a rebuke from the former chancellor and CDU leader Angela Merkel.

Despite the backlash, Merz stuck to his trademark swagger and refused to back down from setting a disturbing precedent. His only nod to regret was admitting he would have liked to have seen a different result. This is the man taking the reins of Europe's central power, and the continent has cause for concern.

Prior to this week's vote - in which Merz's bid stalled in the first secret ballot - the 69-year-old conservative had been hoping to take over as chancellor at a moment of profound reckoning for Germany. The postwar promise of Wohlstand für Alle (prosperity for all) is slipping away, with a fifth of Germans facing poverty or social exclusion. Beyond the enduring east-west divide, new fractures split secure professionals from the precarious working class, old from young, homeowners from renters. Roads and railways are crumbling, digital infrastructure is behind the times and the education system is struggling to equip a shrinking workforce.