Friedrich Merz: A Biography of a German Politician
Early Life and Education
Friedrich Merz was born on November 11, 1955, in Brilon, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied law at the University of Bonn and graduated in 1982. After completing his legal training, he worked as a lawyer in Saarbrücken.Political Career
Merz entered politics in 1989 when he was elected to the Bundestag, the German parliament. He quickly rose through the ranks of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and became Deputy Chairman of the party in 1998. In 2000, he was appointed Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag.Merz was a key figure in the formation of the grand coalition government between the CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in 2005. He served as Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group until 2009. In 2010, he resigned from the Bundestag and became a partner in the law firm Mayer Brown.
Merz returned to politics in 2018 when he was elected Chairman of the CDU. He led the party in the 2021 federal election, but the CDU/CSU was defeated by the SPD.
