Who Is Friedrich Merz And Will He Turn out to be Germany’s Subsequent Chancellor

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Merz, a former banker, has by no means served in workplace earlier than. If the exit ballot predictions play out because the Federal Returning Officer broadcasts the preliminary official outcomes later tonight or within the early hours of February 24, Merz might substitute Olaf Scholz as the subsequent Chancellor of Germany. Scholz’s SPD (Social Democratic Occasion) obtained solely round 16% of votes within the exit polls.

Merz, 69, first labored as a lawyer after finishing his authorized research. He at all times had his sights set on politics, having joined the CDU whereas nonetheless at school. In 1989, he was elected to the European Parliament. When he was elected to the German parliament in 1994, he subsequently turned his focus to home politics.

Merz rose within the social gathering’s ranks over the following couple of years, however an influence battle with Angela Merkel led to his eventual exclusion. He selected to remain out of politics and labored for a number of years in high-level non-public sector roles, together with at HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt and BlackRock Germany. He additionally served on the boards of EY Germany and Borussia Dortmund soccer crew.