Who is Friedrich Merz, Germany’s likely next chancellor, and what’s in his in-tray?

The former banker, who is almost certain to be Germany’s next chancellor, faces testing domestic political and economic landscape — and then there’s Donald Trump

Friedrich Merz will want to make his mark early on. Picture:AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

Friedrich Merz, a former banker who has never been a government minister, appears almost certain to be the next chancellor of Germany after his conservative CDU/CSU alliance won the most votes in Sunday’s crucial federal election.

During the campaign his decision to win a vote in parliament by relying on far-right support proved a historic and highly controversial turning point, even if he has since insisted he would never break Germany’s “firewall” (“brandmauer”) by going into coalition government with the anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland.