Agency Report –
A party organized by the parliamentary faction of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to mark his 70th birthday will take place without his predecessor Angela Merkel.
A spokeswoman for Merkel told dpa on Wednesday that the former chancellor had not received an invitation, but that she “would not be able to attend anyway due to a trip abroad.”
A spokesman for the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group, which consists of members from Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), said Merkel, like all other former parliamentary group leaders, will still be invited.
The CDU/CSU parliamentary group is organizing a reception for Merz in the Reichstag building. Invitations have already been sent to members of the Bundestag, with more to follow.
Hundreds expected at Merz’s party
The 300 guests will also include the premiers of Germany’s federal states and family members of the chancellor.
Merz’s birthday is on November 11, making him the first Chancellor since Konrad Adenauer more than 60 years ago to be over 70 while in office.
Merz went to Merkel’s70th party
Merz was present at Merkel’s belated 70th birthday celebration last year. In a speech, he thanked her for her “political life’s work,” and expressed a wish that she would “remain loyal to the CDU.”
At the time, the appearance was seen as a conciliatory act in a relationship between the two that has been troubled for decades.
Under Merz, the CDU has moved far away from the Merkel era, and there are few fans of hers left in the parliamentary group. Merkel has criticized Merz’s migration policies, though she recently praised him for his foreign policy in his first months in office.
