No close connection

Merz “overlooked” Merkel’s congratulations

Merz initially stated that he had not yet seen any congratulations - but they must have been sent to him.(Bild: APA/AFP/POOL/MICHELE TANTUSSI)

The already strained relationship between former Chancellor Angela Merkel and the current CDU election winner Friedrich Merz has been enriched by another chapter. While it was rumored that his predecessor may not have congratulated him on his success, Merkel's spokeswoman has now countered.

The former German Chancellor Angela Merkel is said to have congratulated the Union's candidate for Chancellor Friedrich Merz on his election victory on Sunday evening. Merkel had "congratulated him yesterday evening by text message on the clear government mandate from the CDU and CSU and wished him a happy hand in forming his government", a spokeswoman for the former chancellor told the Funke media group on Monday.

Merz: "I haven't seen any congratulations yet"
After the consultations of his party's top committees in Berlin, Merz said on Monday in response to a journalist's question as to whether former CDU leader Merkel had congratulated him: "Well, I haven't seen any congratulations from Angela Merkel so far." 

However, he added: "I may have overlooked her because I received a few hundred text messages last night."

During the election campaign, Merkel had called it wrong that the CDU/CSU had enabled a majority with votes from the right-wing populist AfD for the first time in a Bundestag motion to tighten up migration policy.

Relationship severely strained
The Merz-Merkel relationship was strained for a long time after the then CDU leader ousted him as parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag after the 2002 election. Merz later withdrew from politics altogether for years. At a CDU celebration for Merkel's 70th birthday in the late summer of 2024, however, the two recently became extremely friendly with each other.