Now that centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a confidence vote following the dramatic collapse of his three-party coalition, Merz may soon get his chance after decades of waiting in the wings.
Although he has never held government office, polls say Merz is the favourite to win the February 23 election.
Merz, a 69-year-old Roman Catholic, hails from the rural Sauerland region of North Rhine-Westphalia and is the top candidate of the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian allies the CSU.
A long-time rival of the CDU’s centrist ex-chancellor Angela Merkel, Merz has criticised her legacy, from her open-door policy to migrants to her insistence on maintaining dialogue with Russia.
Merz is a pro-business economic liberal, who published a book in 2008 titled “Dare More Capitalism”, a passionate advocate of transatlantic ties and the European Union, and a defender of traditional social values.
First elected to the Bundestag three decades ago, Merz took over the CDU leadership on his third attempt after its 2021 election defeat and was confirmed as its chancellor candidate in September.
Firmly on the right of the CDU, Merz has backed a tougher immigration policy and law and order stance and pledged to reverse marijuana legalisation and Germany’s phase-out of nuclear power, as he seeks to win back voters who have drifted to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Seeing red