German Chancellor Friedrich Merz celebrated his 70th birthday at a Union faction reception. Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil praised their cooperation, while Bavarian Premier Markus Söder drew attention with mocking remarks. The event highlighted Merz's position as the oldest serving chancellor in decades.
Friedrich Merz, CDU chancellor, turned 70 on Tuesday as the first in office to reach that age. He planned to treat it as a normal workday, but from 5 p.m., a two-hour reception with 300 guests took place in the Union faction at the Bundestag. Attendees included CDU/CSU lawmakers, SPD and Greens faction leaders, Union state premiers, and former CDU/CSU faction chairs. Merz's family, including wife Charlotte Merz, children, and grandchildren, joined the celebration.
Merz received a Germany flag that had previously flown over the Reichstag as a gift. Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) praised cooperation with Merz, admitting it had »not always run smoothly.« Union faction leader Jens Spahn called Merz a »fighter« and recalled his opposition leadership against the traffic-light government: »If you rhetorically dismantled the then red-green federal government, it was a feast for us every time.«
Bavarian Premier Markus Söder presented Merz with a Bavarian lion paperweight and a figure of CSU icon Franz Josef Strauß. According to SPIEGEL sources, several attendees found Söder's speech borderline. He emphasized his support for Merz in the election campaign and jabbed at former chancellor candidate Armin Laschet: »We know it can go differently, Armin.« Söder also addressed Merz's age: Some hoped he would not run again, but assured his fitness. »I've given up on that too.« On X, Söder wrote that the Strauß figure should remind Merz how well he chose the current CSU chairman.
Merz is the tenth chancellor of the Federal Republic and the oldest in decades. Only Konrad Adenauer governed past his 70th birthday; Merz was 69 when he took office.