Who is Friedrich Merz? Millionaire hobby pilot, new German Chancellor wants to shut borders for illegal migrants

Friedrich Merz, the politician who never held a government position, is set to be the next German Chancellor after the centre-right Union bloc won the national elections. The 69-year-old, a millionaire hobby pilot, won the national polls in Germany with 28.6 percent votes. Merz will be the 10th Chancellor in the post-World War II Germany. A lawyer by profession, Merz has been associated with several top corporate houses.

Serving on various corporate boards, Merz was appointed supervisory board chairman at BlackRock’s German unit in 2016. A combative orator, Merz has said that he can deal with unpredictable and mercurial US President Donald Trump. The Chancellor-in-waiting has questioned the fate of NATO and said that he will work towards gaining ‘independence from the USA.’ The ‘passionate Atlanticist’ wants Europe to work on its own defence ecosystem.

After being sidelined by former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Merz went into a political sabbatical sorts. He traveled to the US and China extensively in this period. Years later, he devised his political comeback in 2018 after Merkel resigned as CDU leader. It was this time when Merkel had stated that she won't run for the fifth term as German Chancellor. But success eluded him in 2018 as well as early 2021.

He got lucky in the third attempt and was elected as leader of the party after Chancellor Olaf Scholz won the 2021 national elections. Cementing his power, Merz became the leader of the Union's parliamentary group subsequently.

Merz has taken a tough stance on undocumented migrants. Referring to Ukrainian refugees as "welfare tourists," he has stated that he will close the borders to illegal migrants. His anti-migrant position is well known. Back in 2023, Merz claimed that refugees were getting their teeth redone free of cost, with the expenses being covered by Germany’s taxpayers.

Hailing from the Sauerland in German's far western region, Merz is known as a protege of late Wolfgang Schaeuble, icon of German fiscal conservatism. He made his political debut in 1989. Someone who enjoys flying, people who know him say that Merz's eyes light up when one talks about planes. While he identifies himself as someone from 'upper middle class,' Merz has two private jets and has earned millions from his stints in the corporate world.