Merz to Present German Election Campaign Pitch to Davos Elite
(Bloomberg) -- Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become chancellor after Germany’s snap election next month, will take his campaign pitch to the World Economic Forum next week.
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The leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union will address the annual meetings in Davos on Jan. 21, according to a schedule published on Tuesday. That’s just a few hours after Chancellor Olaf Scholz appears at the same event.
Germany is about to receive a dismal economic report card for 2024, with data due Wednesday expected to show a second straight year of economic contraction. That weak performance is a focus in the Feb. 23 elections, which will likely see Scholz ousted in favor of Merz.
His CDU/CSU bloc is some 15 points ahead of the chancellor’s center-left Social Democrats, known as the SPD. Still, if Merz’s group does win just over 30% as polls predict, he will need a coalition partner to form a government.
Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens, and Finance Minister Joerg Kukies of the SPD will also be attending the forum, which takes place Jan. 20-24 in the Swiss Alps.
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