{
  "id": 6337970,
  "title": "Chancellor: Publicist Friedman: Merz unsuitable as Chancellor",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/kanzler-publizist-friedman-merz-als-kanzler-ungeeignet",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-08T22:01:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/kanzler-publizist-friedman-merz-als-kanzler-ungeeignet/100253047.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Michel Friedman says Friedrich Merz is unsuitable for the position of Federal Chancellor. Friedman believes that being Chancellor requires learning how to wield administrative power and possessing empathy to make compromises. He criticizes Merz for not meeting these requirements. Friedman also criticizes SPD leaders Lars Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas for not speaking out. Friedman left the CDU in 2025 after the party sided with the AfD on a migration policy vote.",
  "summary": "At the beginning of 2025, the outspoken publicist Friedman had left the CDU. Now he's turning against Chancellor Merz.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}