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Who is Friedrich Merz, the man on course to take Germany’s top job after election?

Friedrich Merz, on course to become post-World War II Germany’s 10th chancellor after the country’s election, has vowed to prioritize European unity and the continent’s security as it grapples with the new Trump administration and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Friedrich Merz Germany

Pulling a divided Europe together won’t be easy when many leaders are too preoccupied by domestic issues to devote much energy to answers to the continent’s most pressing problems. But expectations will be high for Merz to help fill a leadership vacuum and craft a united response to recent U.S. policy shifts that have strained the transatlantic alliance.

His task will be complicated by the need to form a coalition with the center-left Social Democrats of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He has repeatedly pledged not to work with the far-right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party despite their second-place finish.

The 69-year-old conservative leader heads the center-right Union bloc, which won Germany’s national election with 28.5% of the votes.

“I am also aware of the scale of the task that now lies ahead of us,” he told supporters after his victory Sunday night. “The world out there isn’t waiting for us, and it isn’t waiting for long-drawn-out coalition talks and negotiations.” ALSO READ

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