MUNICH: Germany’s conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz vowed on Saturday to be a “strong voice in the EU” if elected, as Europe grapples with renewed US-EU tensions under Donald Trump. Speaking at his final rally before Sunday’s election, Merz stressed that Europe must “sit at the main table and safeguard our interests vis-a-vis Russia and China.”
Trump’s outreach to Russia has fractured the united Western stance on Ukraine, leaving Europe scrambling to respond. “Europe must become stronger again, and Germany must take the lead,” Merz declared. Polls show his CDU/CSU alliance well ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD, with the far-right AfD in second place.
“This election is pivotal,” Merz said, warning that the post-war order is no longer guaranteed. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, heads to the polls on Sunday with Merz poised to take power. – AFP
