Who is Friedrich Merz - the trained pilot and Angela Merkel's long-time rival on course to become German chancellor?
Sidelined by Angela Merkel in the early 2000s, Friedrich Merz left politics for 20 years until she announced her retirement in 2018.
Germany's front-runner Merz: Risk-taker who flirted with far right
Friedrich Merz is a familiar face of his conservative party's old guard. Politically, he has never come across as ...