"Krone" analysis

And now, Mr. Merz? German Mission Impossible

Commenting on the current political situation: the deputy editor-in-chief of "Krone", Rainer Nowak

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Reinhard Holl)

Merz's ideas sound promising: priority for the economy and new military strength for Europe. The next German chancellor can only do better than the weakest head of German government in history. Unfortunately, Merz has to do more: the comeback of German industry, leadership in Europe, more geopolitical power(s) for Germany.

Friedrich Merz has done it. At the age of 69, he has achieved the great political comeback that everyone outside the CDU had doubted for decades. Germany has long been estranged from Merz. Now he clearly leads the CDU into first place, while his supposed rival candidate Olaf Scholz suffers the worst defeat that the SDP and an incumbent Chancellor have ever experienced. Scholz, who was never treated with the same hostility by the traditional media as his challenger Merz, almost drove the country and the party to the wall with the traffic light coalition. Now he is being served the bill.