Mr Merz revealed plans for two changes to the debt brake, a constitutional provision in place since 2009 that lets the government run only minuscule structural deficits. Next week parliament will be recalled to vote on them.

He 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.

Mr. Hermsmeier is a journalist who writes about Germany’s politics and society. Friedrich Merz didn’t waste time. Having led his party, the Christian Democrats, to first place in Germany’s ...

The German federal polls have closed, and the exit polls appear to have handed the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) a victory.

The multi-faceted Friedrich Merz promises to be a most indecipherable head of government. Only one thing's for certain: He is willing to take risks. It comes with serious perils, but may be exactly what Germany (and the world) needs right now.

Merz, a man who has never held a government role, is preparing to take the reins in Germany just as the country faces economic and diplomatic crises.

Compared to last October, the vote for the CDU/CSU is down slightly vis a vis the polls, the AfD have not rallied as much as their admirers would have believed.

German voters cast their ballots in Sunday’s election, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz claiming victory and Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceding defeat. Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since ...