An Unexpected Trump Bump for the World’s Centrists

An Unexpected Trump Bump for the World’s Centrists

In Britain, a languishing prime minister is suddenly a statesman, while his up-and-coming populist rival has been thrown on his heels. In Canada, the incumbent Liberal Party has a chance to win an election long thought out of reach. In Germany, the incoming center-right chancellor is dominating the agenda after …

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German Election 2025: Friedrich Merz Appears Poised to Be Next Chancellor

German Election 2025: Friedrich Merz Appears Poised to Be Next Chancellor

Germans voted for a change of leadership on Sunday, handing the most votes in a parliamentary election to centrist conservatives, with the far right in second, and rebuking the nation’s left-leaning government for its handling of the economy and immigration. The results almost certainly mean the country’s next chancellor will …

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Shocked by Trump, Europe Turns Its Hopes to Germany’s Election

Shocked by Trump, Europe Turns Its Hopes to Germany’s Election

In the final days of Germany’s abbreviated election campaign, the task facing its next chancellor has snapped into focus. It appears far more existential, for the country and for all of Europe, than almost anyone initially imagined. Germany’s coalition government came apart just a day after the U.S. presidential election …

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Next Likely Chancellor Promises a Tougher Germany

Next Likely Chancellor Promises a Tougher Germany

Friedrich Merz, the man favored to be Germany’s next chancellor after elections on Sunday, is a conservative businessman who has never been a government minister and was forced out of party leadership years ago for challenging Angela Merkel. As a Christian Democrat and committed trans-Atlanticist, he has been considered a …

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Meet Germany’s Far-Right Leader, a Study in Contradictions

Meet Germany’s Far-Right Leader, a Study in Contradictions

When Vice President JD Vance criticized his German hosts last week for sidelining far-right parties, he did not mention by name the Alternative for Germany, known as the AfD. But soon after his speech at the Munich Security Conference, in which he stunned the room by comparing democracy in today’s …

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Meet Germany’s Far-Right Leader, a Study in Contradictions

Meet Germany’s Far-Right Leader, a Study in Contradictions

When Vice President JD Vance criticized his German hosts last week for sidelining far-right parties, he did not mention by name the Alternative for Germany, known as the AfD. But soon after his speech at the Munich Security Conference, in which he stunned the room by comparing democracy in today’s …

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German Election Spotlight Turns to Trump

German Election Spotlight Turns to Trump

On Thursday morning, an Afghan refugee deliberately plowed a car into a crowd in Munich, motivated by what the police called an “Islamist orientation.” A 2-year-old girl and her mother were killed, and nearly 40 others were injured. A day later — in a country where migration has been a …

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Angela Merkel Is Retired. But She’s Still on the Ballot.

Angela Merkel Is Retired. But She’s Still on the Ballot.

A chorus of criticism greeted Friedrich Merz, the favorite to become Germany’s chancellor, last month when he broke a taboo against working with a hard-right party to pass legislation. But it was a lone voice of dissent that rocked the country’s political scene: Angela Merkel, the once-beloved former chancellor, who …

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