Friedrich Merz, a man who has never held a government role, is preparing to take the reins in Germany just as the country faces its biggest economic and diplomatic crises in decades and Europe looks urgently for a new generation of leaders for an era of transatlantic tension.

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,