General view taken as the leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz jumps on stage to address a press conference at the party's headquarters the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus in Berlin, on February 24, 2025, one day after the German federal elections. Germany's election winner Friedrich Merz has vowed to rule Europe's largest economy by returning to his Christian Democrat party's conservative roots, ease restraints on business and crack down on irregular immigration. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)