When Friedrich Merz suddenly re-entered politics after a near 10-year absence, some described it as the Second Coming. Others said it was the return of the undead.
However you describe it, Merz’s rebound has been the most remarkable comeback in recent German history. And if the polls are right, it could climax early next year with his election as his country’s 10th postwar chancellor.
That would be an extraordinary moment of vindication for Merz. Sidelined from power in 2002 by his nemesis Angela Merkel, he spent the following years sulking on the sidelines before quitting the Bundestag in 2009 to pursue a career in business. For years it looked like he had petulantly slammed the door on the world of high politics and would never return. Now he is back, with his centre-right Christian Democratic Union in pole position to win snap elections on February 23 and return in triumph to the chancellery.