Friedrich Merz is a familiar face of his conservative party's old guard. Politically, he has never come across as exhilarating. And yet his explosive bid to tighten migration rules with the support of far-right votes in parliament reveals a man willing to gamble by breaking a major taboo.

Germany's opposition leader Friedrich Merz is the front-runner in the country's election campaign, with his center-right Union bloc leading polls. The 69-year-old became leader of the Christian Democratic Union after Chancellor Angela Merkel stepped down in 2021,

Friedrich Merz, the 69-year-old veteran German politician with a hardline stance on migration and an expensive aviation hobby, is the favorite to become the country’s next chancellor in the February 23 federal election.