Bundestag election 2025

The long road of Friedrich Merz

Can he do better? Friedrich Merz

(Bild: AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ)

Angela Merkel sidelined him in 2002, he lost the vote for CDU party leader twice, now the "eternal Friedrich Merz" is allowed to try his hand as the CDU/CSU's candidate for chancellor in the 2025 Bundestag elections. Retrospective of a driven man.

It took Friedrich Merz (68) three attempts to become CDU party leader. Now, following the rejection of Hendrik Wüst, Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, who is almost 20 years younger than him, and CSU boss Markus Söder, Friedrich Merz may also try his hand as the CDU's candidate for Chancellor in the 2025 federal elections. The final decision on the question of chancellor will be made next Monday by the CDU and CSU leadership committees. However, it can be assumed that they will approve the choice of Merz by a large majority.

Germany's former Chancellor Angela Merkel (archive photo)

(Bild: MDR/BROADVIEW TV)

For Merz, it is the provisional destination of a long journey. He could become the next CDU chancellor after Angela Merkel - who ousted him from the front row of the CDU 20 years ago. In 2002, Merz was defeated by Angela Merkel in the election for the chairmanship of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag. While he initially remained a member of the Bundestag, he retired after Merkel's election as Chancellor in 2005 and left the Bundestag in 2009 to return to work as a lawyer and consultant. However, the "driven Merz" was never far away from politics. He had a close friendship with CDU veteran Wolfgang Schäuble. However, Merz shied away from open confrontation with Merkel. It was only when she announced her retirement that he ventured out of the shadows again.

Merz senses his chance
In 2018, after the CDU's election debacle in Hesse and the CSU's in Bavaria, the Chancellor announced her gradual withdrawal. Initially, she did not want to run for party chairwoman again and not as chancellor in 2021. Merz, fired up by right-wing conservative forces in the party who disagreed with Merkel's migration policy, announced a comeback - and narrowly lost out at the party conference in Hamburg to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Merkel's preferred future defense minister. Merz left the party conference early. Kramp-Karrenbauer was unable to prevent the CDU's rapid decline and announced her withdrawal in 2020. Merz stepped onto the mat again - and lost again. This time against Armin Laschet. The CDU/CSU was deeply divided and at odds with each other, with CSU leader Markus Söder also constantly firing cross shots from Bavaria.

Standing behind Friedrich Merz: CSU leader Markus Söder

(Bild: APA/dpa/Peter Kneffel)

They slipped into an electoral debacle in the 2021 federal elections, losing almost nine percent and only finishing in second place behind the SPD. This time was his big moment. "It was only when Merkel was no longer there that a CDU party conference dared to elect the man whom more Christian Democrats had apparently missed for 16 years than appeared to be the case during Merkel's years as chancellor," analyzes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

So now Merz is the candidate for chancellor. And can only fail because of himself. The magazine "Politico" called Merz the "German Trump" in 2020. He made controversial comments on combating the pandemic, equated homosexuals and paedophiles and does not believe in equal rights for women. Merz is prone to emotional outbursts and is easily provoked.

Germany will elect a new Bundestag in 2025

(Bild: APA/dpa/Fabian Sommer)

At the moment, the party is overlooking this. This is because the CDU is a party of power that closes ranks as soon as it senses success. The polls, coupled with the disastrous sight of the traffic light coalition of SPD, FDP and Greens, are already causing the champagne corks to pop in the Konrad Adenauer House and ministerial posts to be distributed. It is unclear what will happen when this trend ends. And the emotional Merz reappears in the election campaign.