Who is Friedrich Merz, and does he truly want to bridge fragmented Germany?

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz declared victory after his Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) won nearly 29 percent of the vote in Sunday’s federal election, securing a clear lead over other parties.

Eager to become Germany’s next chancellor, Merz faces a deeply divided political and social landscape. “The world is not waiting for us, and it is not waiting for lengthy coalition talks. We must now quickly regain our ability to act,” the conservative leader said.

But that doesn’t seem so easy considering Germany’s political climate, while some remain sceptical of his intent to unify the nation.

According to Mahmud Abu-Odeh, a political activist based in Germany, Merz is more likely to exploit societal divisions to stay in power rather than bridge them.

“To build bridges in a heavily divided society, you have to genuinely want to overcome these divisions. But I don’t think Merz and the CDU want that,” Abu-Odeh tells TRT World.

“What they really want is to stay in power and use societal divides to their advantage.”

This strategy, many would argue, ultimately benefits the Alternative for Germany (AfD) the most.

“Dividing society on key issues, especially around migrants, is the AfD’s daily work, and the CDU is trying to tap into this atmosphere with its anti-migrant positions,” he explains.

The least popular chancellor candidate?

The 69-year-old politician took charge of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 2022 after Angela Merkel exited active politics.

But unlike Merkel, whose calm and consensus-driven leadership helped her bridge divides and gain widespread support, Merz’s confrontational style and divisive remarks have made him one of Germany’s least favoured chancellor candidates.

His popularity lags far behind, with a recent Ipsos poll revealing that only 21 percent of men and 15 percent of women see him as a suitable chancellor. His support among young voters is even lower, at just 13 percent.

“Merz was never a popular politician, and he still isn’t. I don’t expect him to become a sympathetic figure in society. Many voters chose him not because they support him personally, but because they dislike the AfD’s open racism and extreme right-wing stance,” Abu-Odeh says.

“The AfD is blatantly racist and Nazistic. Merz, on the other hand, presents himself as a hardliner who is conservative but not overtly extreme,” he explains.

Governing a divided electorate

The election results highlight a fractured political landscape. The far-right AfD achieved its best-ever result in a federal election, coming in second with 20.8 percent – nearly doubling its previous vote share.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) suffered historic losses, dropping to 16.4 percent, its worst result since 1949.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s Green Party secured fourth place with 11.6 percent, while the Left Party saw an increase to 8.8 percent, gaining 3.9 percentage points from the previous election.

Abu-Odeh believes this election has resulted in one of the most right-wing parliaments Germany has ever seen. “No party opposed the so-called anti-Semitism resolution, which is clearly racist and targets the Palestinian cause and migrants,” he says.

With no party winning an outright majority, Merz’s first challenge will be coalition-building. The CDU/CSU secured 208 seats, followed by the AfD with 152, the SPD with 120, the Greens with 85, and the Left Party with 62. A majority in the Bundestag requires at least 316 seats, ruling out single-party governance.

A coalition with the SPD would give the Christian Democrats 328 seats, while a three-way alliance with the Greens would result in 413 seats.

What about the AfD?

One of Merz’s biggest challenges will be countering the growing influence of the far-right AfD, though many suspect that’s not his aim at all.

Merz recently stirred controversy by proposing anti-immigration legislation in parliament, hoping to pass it with the AfD support.

However, Merz’s gamble in collaborating with extremists backfired as the bill was rejected after a heated parliamentary debate with about a dozen lawmakers from his own CDU/CSU bloc breaking ranks and refusing to back the legislation.

The move triggered nationwide riots, with tens of thousands of people accusing Merz of normalising far-right politics and undermining the post-war consensus against working with extremist parties.

Facing intense backlash, Merz backed down and reassured the public that the Christian Democrats would not cooperate or negotiate with the AfD after the election.

Supports war criminals

The conservative leader has also been a strong supporter of Israel, repeatedly stating that Israel’s security is part of Germany’s “reason of state.”

“A government led by me will strengthen our relations with Israel. I will immediately end the de facto export embargo of the current government,” he declared in his recent Berlin speech.

Merz’s government is expected to go further by pursuing anti-immigrant policies and suppressing pro-Palestinian views in the name of ‘anti-Semitism’.

“Merz is a strong Zionist who will likely push stricter police laws that will disproportionately affect Palestinians,” says Abu-Odeh.

“The Palestinian movement in Germany must prepare not only to protect itself but also to defend basic human rights and constitutional laws that these measures may violate.”

Never held executive office

During his campaign, Merz heavily criticised Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government, blaming their policies for Germany’s economic stagnation.

To revive the economy, Merz proposed a series of business-friendly measures, including lowering corporate taxes, ensuring affordable energy, and cutting bureaucracy.

According to Abu-Odeh though, Merz is going to aggressively push economic growth, likely at the expense of workers and the social system.

“He’s expected to pass laws that cut social benefits, weaken workers’ rights, and undermine unions. He will also target progressives, paving the way for the AfD and even more extreme right-wing forces to gain power.”

His tenure as chairman of BlackRock Germany from 2016 to 2020 is especially contentious, with left-wing politicians arguing that his close ties to multinational corporations and the financial sector could lead him to prioritise lobby groups over public welfare.

Commentators have also cast doubt on Merz's leadership credentials. Despite his long political career and business background, Merz has never held executive office – neither as a state leader nor as a federal cabinet minister.

As most major parties adopt increasingly anti-immigrant policies, many minorities in Germany feel politically unrepresented.

“Merz represents everything many in Germany fear, and there are no real alternatives,” says Abu-Odeh.

“There was no party to represent us truly; there was only one unified anti-migrant block stretching from the Left Party to the AfD.

“We are in for a tough time, but in many ways, it’s just a continuation of what we’ve already been experiencing.”