But the CDU didn’t choose him—at least, not at first. Twice, it picked centrists in the mold of Merkel. But the party kept losing electoral ground. Finally, in 2022, its members saw fit to ...

However, with Merz’s attempts to move the CDU further to the right than it was under Merkel’s leadership, the two parties could clash on issues such as immigration and welfare spending.

After his conservative bloc came out ahead in German legislative elections with almost 30 percent of the vote, Friedrich Merz must now forge a coalition government. Merz has pledged to revive the ...

So far, only one party has picked a candidate to lead it into the vote: the Social Democrats (CDU) with Olaf Scholz, who currently serves as Chancellor Merkel's deputy in a coalition with her ...

leader of the CDU/CSU alliance, will take office in a particularly unstable context. Germany's famed stability, on which Angela Merkel based a 16-year reign, is now a thing of the past.

According to the exit polls, it looks likely former chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party will win power under new leader Friedrich Merz. “This is a very controversial issue, as we’ve heard ...

The vote immediately provoked a storm of condemnation, including from within the CDU, with Merkel taking a critical stance. It also triggered large-scale demonstrations in several cities across ...

where his mentor was the late CDU powerbroker Wolfgang Schaeuble. After chancellor Helmut Kohl's long reign ended in a slush fund scandal, Merkel soon sidelined Merz to take over the party and ...

Early exit polls cited by multiple outlets project the CDU—the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel—is expected to get the highest share of votes in this election, likely positioning its ...