Who is the new German Chancellor? The man aiming to send German missiles to Ukraine

Friedrich Merz was finally elected Chancellor of Germany. The CDU chairman received 325 votes-while for the majority needed for the chancellor 316 votes were needed. In the first round, Merz had failed.

The Chairman of the German Conservative Party Union Christian-Democrat (CDU), Friedrich Merz, did not make it easy to start in the new task. In the first round of voting in the Bundestag on May 6, 2025, Merz failed to secure the necessary majority of 316 votes. But in the second round he received 9 votes more than he needed to be elected Chancellor. It was the first time in the history of Germany that a candidate for chancellor was rejected in the first voting-another obstacle in a downward-time political career.

Friedrich Merz takes an oath as Chancellor before Bundestag leader Julia Klöckner, following a second vote in parliament on May 6, 2025 in Berlin.Friidrich Merz takes the Oath as Chancellor before Bundestag Julia Klöckner, following a second vote in Parliament on May 6, 2025 in Berlin.

Return after 12 years to politics

Merz, a former chairman of the Union Parliamentary Group, returned to the Bundestag in 2021, after a 12-year absence of politics. At the age of 69, he became Germany’s oldest Chancellor since Konrad Adenauer, who took office at the age of 73.

Merz’s political career is divided into two stages: before and after the Merkel era. In 2002, when Angela Merkel took over the leadership of the CDU parliamentary group and later became chancellor, Merz withdrew from the political scene. He had ambitions for the post of Chancellor early, but CDU/CSU chose as candidate Edmund Stober, who lost to Gerhard Schröderi. Merz then focused on his career as a lawyer and no longer ran for the Bundestag in 2009.

Lawyer, manager, orator

Originating from the Sauerland region west of Germany, Merz is a Catholic and a lawyer, like his father. In 1989 he was elected a deputy in the European Parliament, and in 1994 he moved to the Bundestag. He was distinguished for his direct style and powerful oratory.

During the period away from Merz politics he became a central figure in the financial sector. From 2016 to 2020, he was chairman of the Blackrock Supervisory Board in Germany – a fact that is for some an advantage, but for critics remains a weak point due to a lack of government experience.

Most conservative course

Merz represents a more conservative arm within the CDU. He did not support the criminalization of rape within the marriage in 1997 and was a strong defender of nuclear energy. He also calls for less bureaucracy and more individual responsibilities.

In 2023 he sparked debate with criticism of refugee integration: « There are people who have nothing to do in Germany … who have long tolerated them by not deporting them, and then we are surprised to see how fathers deny teachers – especially teachers – any authority over their children, who behave as if they were ‘young. »

Reliability

Although it won the elections in February 2025, Merz’s personal popularity has declined. Only 21% of the Germans consider it reliable, according to an April survey. Only 40% see him as a strong leader and 27% think he « understands what concerns people. »

Friedrich Merz focused on the Bundestag Hall in Berlin, on the day the second round of the new Chancellor of Germany was held on May 6, 2025.Friidrich Merz with a view of the Bundestag Hall in Berlin, the day the second round of the new Chancellor of Germany was held.

The decline in credibility is also related to his political maneuvers: in January 2025 CDU adopted a Bundestag motion with the far -right votes AFD – something that had previously excluded. « We will not cooperate with the party that calls ourselves alternatives to Germany, » he said on February 3. Also, in March agreed with the SPD and the Greens to soften the debt brake, paving the way for 1 trillion euro credit – a turning point that angered conservative voters.

Message to Donald Trump

In foreign policy Merz is in favor of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine – crossing the red line of ancestor Olaf Scholz. « We are not a party to this war and we do not want to be such. But we are not uninterested spectators, » he said in an interview for ARD on April 28.

Merz wants Germany to take on a leading role in Europe and NATO. « My message to Donald Trump is: Germany has returned the right track, » he said on April 9. « We will fulfill our protection obligations and strengthen our competitive ability-not just for Germany, but for the entire EU. »

His first trips as chancellor are symbolic: Paris, Warsaw. And, soon, maybe Tirana, where on May 16, the next meeting of the European political community is held.