Friedrich Merz

German politician (born 1955)

Friedrich Merz (born 11 November 1955) is a German lawyer and politician. He is the Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 2022. He was a Member of the European Parliament 1989 to 1994, a member of the Bundestag from 1994 to 2009, and as the chairman of CDU/CSU parliamentary group from 2000 to 2002.

Friedrich Merz

Merz in 2022
Leader of the Christian Democratic Union
Assumed office
31 January 2022
General SecretaryMario Czaja
DeputySilvia Breher
Andreas Jung
Michael Kretschmer
Carsten Linnemann
Karin Prien
Preceded byArmin Laschet
Leader of the Opposition
Assumed office
15 February 2022
ChancellorOlaf Scholz
Preceded byRalph Brinkhaus
In office
29 February 2000 – 22 September 2002
ChancellorGerhard Schröder
Preceded byWolfgang Schäuble
Succeeded byAngela Merkel
Leader of the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag
Assumed office
15 February 2022
First DeputyAlexander Dobrindt
Chief WhipThorsten Frei
Preceded byRalph Brinkhaus
In office
29 February 2000 – 22 September 2002
First DeputyMichael Glos
Chief WhipHans-Peter Repnik
Preceded byWolfgang Schäuble
Succeeded byAngela Merkel
Parliamentary constituencies
Member of the Bundestag
for Hochsauerlandkreis
Assumed office
26 October 2021
Preceded byPatrick Sensburg
In office
10 November 1994 – 27 October 2009
Preceded byFerdinand Tillmann
Succeeded byPatrick Sensburg
Member of the European Parliament
for Germany
In office
25 July 1989 – 19 July 1994
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byMulti-member district
Personal details
Born
Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz

(1955-11-11) 11 November 1955 (age 68)
Brilon, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Political partyChristian Democratic Union (1972–)
Spouse(s)
Charlotte Merz
(m. 1981)
Children3
ResidenceArnsberg
EducationUniversity of Bonn
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Lawyer
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Allegiance Germany
Branch/service Bundeswehr
Years of service1975–1976
Unit German Army (Heer) /
Self-propelled artillery

In 2018 he announced his candidacy in the CDU leadership election in December 2018.[1] He lost the election to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. In February 2020, he announced his second candidacy for the party's 2021 leadership election.[2] He lost the race on 16 January 2021 after losing to Armin Laschet in the second round.

In March 2020, Merz was tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.[3]

On 15 November 2021, Merz announced his candidacy in the second 2021 CDU leadership election to replace Armin Laschet.[4][5] He ran against Norbert Röttgen and Helge Braun.[6] On 17 December 2021, he was elected leader in a landslide victory.[7]

References

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  1. Berlin, Kommentar von Stefan Braun (2018). "Die große Zeitenwende ist eine Chance für die CDU". sueddeutsche.de (in German). ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  2. Berlin, Berliner Morgenpost- (2020-02-25). "Friedrich Merz kandidiert - und schießt gegen Laschet und Spahn". www.morgenpost.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  3. Welt.de: Friedrich Merz mit Coronavirus infiziert, March 17, 2020
  4. "Race to lead Angela Merkel's party in German opposition takes shape". Business Standard. November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  5. Geir Moulson (November 12, 2021). "Race to lead Angela Merkel's party in German opposition takes shape". AP News. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  6. "Germany's CDU ready to elect new leader to succeed Armin Laschet". Business Standard. November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  7. "CDU: Friedrich Merz wird neuer Parteichef". Der Spiegel (in German). 2021-12-17. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2021-12-18.