Friedrich Merz emerges as leading candidate for Germany's chancellorship

Friedrich Merz, a veteran politician and former CDU parliamentary leader, is seen as a strong candidate for Germany's next chancellor. He previously lost leadership bids in 2018 and 2021 but won the position in 2022. Merz's economic focus includes tax cuts and deregulation. He has suggested possibly easing a strict constitutional spending cap to address infrastructure issues, which has gained attention following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government. Recent polling shows Merz's CDU leading with 30% support, ahead of the far-right Alternative for Germany at 21% and Scholz's Social Democrats at 15%.