Who is Friedrich Merz, the man elected as Germany’s next chancellor?

Friedrich Merz (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP)

Conservative leader Friedrich Merz has been elected as Germany’s chancellor — hours after he failed to win the first round in parliament in a historic defeat.

Mr Merz, 69, who succeeds Olaf Scholz, has vowed to prioritise European unity and the continent’s security as it grapples with the new Trump administration and Russia’s war on Ukraine.