Chancellor in waiting? How the 'German Trump' marries Opulence and populism

In July 2022, the prevailing political mood in Germany was grim. The economic powerhouse was on the brink of a recession, with Russia threatening to cut off its gas supplies.

- Kate Connolly

There were widespread fears of a decline in prosperity. The gloss was beginning to wear off Olaf Scholz's coalition government.

Amid the gloom, the finance minister, Christian Lindner, got married on the North Sea island of Sylt. And one of the guests, Friedrich Merz, decided to make his entrance at the opulent, three-day celebration in his private plane: a twin-engine Diamond DA62, complete with personalized number plate. The leader of the centre-right opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was roundly criticised for the ostentatious arrival, both for flaunting his wealth and ignoring concerns over the climate crisis. Far from being chastened, however, Merz doubled down. "I use less fuel with this small aircraft than any company car owned by a member of the federal government," he insisted - and for that reason, he said, he would continue to use the plane.

With his conservative alliance leading the polls, Merz is now hoping to become the chancellor of Europe's largest economy, anticipating triumph in elections called for 23 February. In a country where brazen shows of wealth are unusual and unpopular, however, his plane and image of privilege may come back to bite him.

Hailed by his supporters as the "back to the roots" candidate, Merz is a textbook Christian Democrat in the way Germany's last conservative chancellor, Angela Merkel, was not. The 69-year-old is an apparently role-model husband of more than 40 years, a father and grandfather, as well as a Catholic by birth who still lives in Brilon, the west German town in which he was born. His profile could hardly be more of a contrast to Merkel, a twice-married, child-free Protestant woman who grew up in the communist GDR.