Who is running for Chancellor of Germany. 7 facts about Friedrich Merz

Berlin announced the dissolution of the Bundestag, early elections to the German parliament are scheduled for February 23. The most likely candidate for the post of chancellor is the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, who is in the lead according to polls. What is known about the favorite of the German elections - in the material "Izvestia".

Fact 1: Unpopular leader

- 69-year-old Friedrich Merz has been a member of the CDU party for 44 years, but has never been a member of the government. For a long time, the politician was in the shadow of CDU chairwoman Angela Merkel, who became Germany's chancellor in 2005. Merz regularly criticized the head of the government, in particular with regard to Merkel's migration policy.

- Critics call him petulant, impulsive and arrogant. At times, Merz's approval rating was so low that he wanted to be expelled from the party. He left politics in 2009 and only returned after Merkel stepped down as CDU chair in 2018. Merz ran as a candidate for the head of the party but lost. A second attempt to lead the party in 2021 also failed, and only in 2022 could he become chairman.

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Fact 2: Calls himself middle class, although he grew up in a mansion

- Friedrich Merz is called the German Donald Trump. He acquired this nickname due to his populist statements and impressive fortune. The politician calls himself a representative of the middle class, but he came from a wealthy family and spent his childhood in the family mansion in the middle of the XVIII century.

- Merz, a lawyer by training, started out as a judge at the district court of Saarbrücken, but a few years later he was already in the top management of 20 large international companies at the same time. By 2018, he had purchased two private jets and his annual income was around €1 million. Against the image of a thrifty woman that Merkel has cemented, Merz flying his own plane looks defiant to the conservative German public, and he has repeatedly had to justify himself.

Fact 3- Speaks in favor of Ukraine and in favor of a forceful solution to the conflict

- Friedrich Merz has criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for delaying the delivery of arms to Kiev too long. He favors lifting the restriction on strikes against Russia and sending long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

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- By Merz's own admission, he would transfer the missiles to Ukraine provided that the decision to lift the restriction on the weapons' range is supported by France and the UK. The politician also intends to return compulsory service in the army if he wins the elections in Germany.

Fact 4: Linked to US company BlackRock

- From 2016 to 2020, Merz chaired the supervisory board of the German branch of BlackRock and lobbied for its interests in Germany, on which he earned a considerable part of his fortune, but had to leave the post for a return to politics. BlackRock is the largest American investment company, the main holder of Kiev's debt and Ukrainian assets, which has a mixed reputation.

- In 2018, the company was accused of tax fraud, with the help of which banks stole state budget funds on a large scale. Merz at the time acted as a representative of the German branch and claimed to be cooperating with the authorities in the investigation.

Fact 5: Adheres to a tougher migration policy

- Friedrich Merz is in favor of social assistance reform. The party's program involves cutting benefits to the poor and unemployed, including refugees from Ukraine, and forcing the able-bodied into employment even if they have to move to another city to do so. In case of refusal, there is a provision for withdrawal of benefits.

- Merz intends to take tough measures to curb illegal migration. At the same time, he supports the inflow of skilled workers into the German labor market, proposes to simplify the recognition of foreign diplomas and to create a single digital center where foreign specialists can find jobs, check compliance with entry requirements, get help with paperwork and obtain legal residence status in Germany.

Fact 6: Pushes a controversial climate agenda

- To achieve carbon neutrality, Merz proposes strengthening an already existing instrument - a tax on emissions from burning fossil fuels, which is paid by German residents. The politician believes that the amount of such a tax should increase in the coming years.

- He also argues that the future of the country lies in hydrogen energy and electric cars, but opposes a ban on diesel and gasoline vehicles.

- Merz's party also intends to restart nuclear power plants, which were shut down in Germany in 2023. The politician himself believes that the focus should not be on green initiatives, but on cost-effective technologies.

Fact 7: Supports maintaining the "debt brake"

- The CDU leader opposed reforming the "debt brake", which limits the public deficit to 0.35% of GDP, and believes that the right economic approach will not require an increase in public debt to restore Germany's economy and defense.

- Merz proposes cutting income tax and reducing the corporate tax rate by a quarter. In his opinion, together with cuts in social benefits that would push people into employment, such measures would help Germany out of the economic crisis.