Nearly twenty years before returning from the private sector to claim the German chancellorship, Friedrich Merz accepted an unusual invitation to a French Foreign Legion event in Corsica. At the last minute, organizers requested he arrive not by conventional means but by parachute.
At that time a corporate lawyer with no prior parachuting experience, Merz did not hesitate. He completed the jump successfully, albeit with a somewhat rough landing, according to a fellow participant.
Now 69 and entering politics at the highest level, Merz faces an even greater leap with the potential for missteps.
On Tuesday, Merz, who lacks executive government experience, will be sworn in as Germany’s 10th chancellor. His assumption of office comes at the most critical moment the country has encountered since East and West Germany reunified 35 years ago.
Leading a coalition government under his center-right Christian Democratic Party, Merz inherits a series of pressing national challenges, including a sluggish economy and strained relations with the United States.
Meanwhile, the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, recently designated extremist by German domestic intelligence, has gained ground in some polls, surpassing Merz and other mainstream politicians.
