The reference to God could be omitted – this possibility was used by the predecessor of Friedrich Merz, Olaf Scholza (SPD) in 2021 – noted the DPA agency. Catholic, however, did not miss him – as expected.
Only in the second attempt he obtained the required majority in the Bundestag. In the first vote, before noon, he unexpectedly got 310 votes, 18 less than the clubs creating a government coalition.
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In the second vote of the candidate of the three -party coalition CDU, CSU and SPD in a secret ballot, 325 deputies supported. The absolute majority required was 316 votes.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz – Silhouette
Chosen as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz went through a long political path. From the rising CDU star in the 90s, through early political pension, to the return as the leader of the opposition and finally winning in the February elections to the Bundestag.
It comes from the most populous state of Germany, North Rhinehs-Westphalia. He was born in November 1955 in the town of Brilon in the Hochsauerland poviat.
After completing the compulsory military service, Merz in the 1970s began his legal studies at the University of Bonn as a scholarship holder of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. In 1989 he became an MEP, and five years later he went to the Bundestag as the rising stars of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In 2000 he became the chairman of the KDZ CDU/CSU in the Christian Faction, However, Angela Merkel stood in the way of his further ambitions. The then leader of the CDU moved Merza to the side track, and Merz withdrew from politics and went to business.
After the departure of Merkel from the active policy, Merz applied for leadership in CDU three times. He lost twice-first with Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, then with Armin Laschet-but in 2022 he finally got his way, promising to break with the center Merkel and return to more conservative and free market policy.
He has experience as a parliamentarian, but he never took a position in the government. In the party, he is attributed to the unification of the CDU after losing power in 2021 and repairing the relationship with the sister -in -chic party in Bavaria, CSU.
In CDU, Merz belongs to the liberal wing in economic and conservative terms in socio-political issues. He is a supporter of reducing income tax, limiting bureaucracy and a more flexible labor market, which – in his opinion – is to stimulate economic growth. He wants Germany to follow in the footsteps of France and create conditions conducive to starting start-ups.
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Merz is known for its controversial, often populist statements about migrants. In October 2022, after Russia's full -size aggression on Ukraine, he accused some refugees from Ukraine, practicing the so -called social tourism “to Germany, back to Ukraine, to Germany, back to Ukraine“In another statement, the CDU leader accused the applicants for asylum whose conclusions were rejected, that”They take medical visits from Germany, making new teeth“Later he apologized for his words.
Merz repeatedly talked to the revival of cooperation as part of the Weimar triangle, created by Germany, Poland and France. He announces the reconstruction of the relationship with Poland and France. The new chancellor is to go with the first foreign visits to Paris, Warsaw and Kiev.
