But unlike Helmut Kohl, she is hardly a revered leader. Within her party, Merkel is one of the most respected politicians. This is one reason for the obvious distance between the defense minister and her party, and a possible obstacle to any future in the chancellery. This has led the party to direct its criticism of her efforts to modernize the military, for example, toward von der Leyen rather than the chancellor herself. But where Merkel mostly declines to spell out her plans, implementing them either bit by bit or in sudden bursts, von der Leyen represents her positions openly and is happy to engage in public debate. But this trait has not only helped her become one of Germany’s most visible political actors it has also hurt her in the CDU. She is a politician who is willing to eloquently and forcefully pursue her projects. During the refugee crisis, von der Leyen was one of Merkel’s most visible and loyal defenders – and yet she is also one of the very few CDU politicians who have openly fought with the chancellor, and done so as an equal.Ĭlearly, von der Leyen is different from the chancellor. Her foreign policy credentials may also put her ahead of the competition. Since then, she has headed three federal offices: the ministry for women and family and the ministry for labor and social affairs in addition to her current post at defense. Nevertheless, Berlin politicians and observers are firmly convinced that not only, von der Leyen can easily imagine herself as Merkel’s successor, but that she also believes herself to already have the skills necessary for the top job.Ī doctor by training, von der Leyen made her first appearance in national politics in 2004. She has said that “a generation only needs one chancellor,” making it clear that in her case, it is Angela Merkel. The 59-year-old has gone out of her way to play down any ambitions of her own. The situation is somewhat different with the second name that has cropped up in recent years: Ursula von der Leyen. But if she has the chance to hand over power on her own terms in four years, Schäuble will be nearly eighty, too old for serious consideration. In the turbulent period at the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, he might have seemed like an anchor of stability if Merkel had fallen over her controversial management of the situation. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble would have been an obvious choice during the refugee crisis.
Assuming she is successful, that leaves her four years to establish a successor.
#Merkels latest leading lame duck full
No wonder that in 2017, no one at the top of the CDU or within the administration presents him- or herself as an obvious alternative.Īngela Merkel has announced that she will run once more this fall for a full legislative period.
It may be a coincidence, but the chancellor removed the only person who showed the ambition and talent to one day inherit her position – Norbert Röttgen – in 2012. Early on, she surrounded herself with a close circle of trusted advisers – Peter Altmaier, Ronald Pofalla, Hermann Gröhe – but these were sworn to unconditionally defend Merkel’s chancellorship rather than advance their own prospects. Yet since her surprising rise to the top of the CDU in the year 2000, Merkel has been too busy warding off her intra-party challengers to pay any attention to who might come after her. Politicians who intend to stay in office as long as they are able have no need to consider their succession, but one who would determine her own exit must. At the same time, given Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Brexit, there has hardly been a worse time for the most experienced and powerful European head of state to leave the stage. She was aware of the fact that every missed chance to determine the end of her career herself reduces the chances that she will be able to at all. The chancellor’s hesitation to confirm her candidacy in the fall of last year was likely connected to that hope. Ever since, she has considered an exit on her own terms the ideal end to a successful political career. She reasoned that she never wanted to leave politics as a lame duck herself. This was in 1998, and Merkel had just witnessed how Helmut Kohl’s electoral defeat put an ignominious end to his 16-year chancellorship. Long before she became chancellor, Angela Merkel thought about how important it was for a politician to know when it was time to leave politics.
0 kommentar(er)
