German opposition leader Friedrich Merz will run as the conservative candidate for chancellor in next year’s nationwide elections, party sources told dpa on Tuesday. Merz will aim to lead the CDU/CSU bloc to victory and replace Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s unpopular centre-left coalition. Merz is meeting on Tuesday with Markus Söder, the conservative premier of Bavaria long viewed as a top potential rival for the candidacy. Söder is expected to announce he will not seek the nomination and will instead back Merz for the job at a joint press conference called for noon (1000 GMT) on Tuesday in Berlin…