Merz Faces Challenging Coalition Negotiations with Potential Ally.

Friedrich Merz, Germany’s most likely next chancellor, will begin attempting to form a coalition government on Monday after his conservative bloc emerged victorious in a national election in which disgruntled voters shifted their support to far-right and far-left parties.

Merz, who has never held public office before, is expected to take over as Europe’s greatest economy struggles, its society is divided over migration, and its security is torn between an assertive China and Russia and a belligerent U.S.

After Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s beloved three-way partnership fell apart, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) swept to a historic second place in a split vote, forcing the 69-year-old to endure drawn-out coalition talks.

Early on in his policy plans, Merz also attacked the United States upon his victory, denouncing the “ultimately outrageous” remarks made by Washington throughout the campaign and drawing comparisons to Russia’s unfriendly interventions.