Who Is Friedrich Merz, Germany’s Likely New Chancellor?

After an election dominated by immigration and economic issues, Germany’s likely new chancellor is Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative Christian Democrats. His party finished first with just under 29 percent of the vote and will need to form a coalition government.
Watch the NYT video here. | By Jim Tankersley, Nikolay Nikolov and James Surdam•February 24, 2025