Leaning Towards Right

Friedrich Merz faces a host of political, economic and foreign policy challenges as he puts together a working coalition government in Germany

- Pradnya Bivalkar

Angela Merkel took over the leadership of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in 2002, one of the political casualties was the young and rising star Friedrich Merz. He, however, was patient. Familiar with the political culture of the conservative centre-right party, he knew that when the time came, he would be able to garner the support of the conservatives within the CDU who had become frustrated with Merkel’s moderate agenda. His patience has been vindicated, now that the CDU under his leadership has emerged on top in the snap general elections called after the Left-liberal coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz crumbled.

However, the Germany that Merz is set to inherit is one that has been trying hard to become independent: from China in trade, from the US in security, and from Russia in energy. The incoming chancellor faces mammoth tasks on the domestic front as well, including introducing stricter border controls, stabilising the economy, and keeping a resurgent hard-right at bay. His first task, however, is to provide the country with some form of stability that the voters have opted for after four rocky years. Merz is hoping to build a coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD)—whom he quite harshly belittled till a few hours before the election—at the earliest and assume the chancellorship around Easter.