Analysis-German poll winner Merz's abrasive style could hamper coalition building

FILE PHOTO: German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz attends a press conference following the general election in Berlin, Germany, February 24, 2025. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Hours after Friedrich Merz's conservatives won Germany's national election, he sent the outgoing Social Democrat government a memorandum dictating how to cooperate during the transition period before he took power.

Caretaker Chancellor Olaf Scholz must take no significant foreign or domestic policy decision without first consulting Merz's team, it ordered, the 69-year-old told reporters.