Germany: Angela Merkel’s departure difficult or chance?
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been in power for 16 years. His fourth term as Chancellor will be over after almost nine months and he will have to step down.
Angela Merkel’s party Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has selected Armin Lashet as the new leader. He is being considered ahead in the race to become the next Chancellor. They will get this post only, it is not guaranteed right now.
However, it is certain that the next Chancellor will face many challenges. They will have to rescue Germany from the shock of the Corona epidemic. Also, through better coordination with the European Union, one has to find a way to a happy future.
The biggest challenge for the new Chancellor will be to come out of the shadow of Angela Merkel.
Germany’s ‘Merkel era’
Referring to the era of Angela Merkel in Germany, Senior Fellow of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Yana Pularin says, “I think he will be remembered as one of the greatest figures in Europe and the best chancellor of Germany, but you are one of his Cannot describe a very big achievement, however, it is difficult to count his one big failure.”
Yana says that Angela Merkel has the ability to maintain balance in difficult times and Germany has been benefiting from it.
She says that if we look at the last ten years, Angela Merkel proved to be a good manager in difficult times.
Talking about Angela Merkel’s early life, she grew up in East Germany. She was 35 years old when the Berlin Wall fell and Germany was unified in 1989. She became Chancellor of Germany 16 years after joining CDU.
During the first tenure of Angela Merkel, many analysts were of the opinion that she would not be able to hold this post for long.
Explaining the reason, Yana Pularin says, “The CDU had a small majority then. The other reason was that she was the first woman to dominate the CDU. She came from East Germany and was seen as an outsider. “
But in 2007, opinions about Angela Merkel began to change. Then the first major challenge of his tenure i.e. financial crisis was in front and he led the way with understanding. Then he emphasized on investment rather than stringent measures. The scheme he implemented at that time, similar measures were also taken during the Corona epidemic. In later years, the stories of his strong leadership kept coming up during the challenges.
Awesome manager
On Angela Merkel’s leadership ability, Yana Pullerin says, “Angela Merkel is not an imaginative leader presenting a future plan. She is a balanced and pragmatic leader. She has been making bold decisions when challenged.”
On the other hand, Angela Merkel says that people accuse them of not working fast. Whereas it happens that before making any decision, she thinks about it.
One of the major challenges he faced as Chancellor was the Eurozone crisis. At that time Angela Merkel was of the opinion that every single country in Europe should deal with its own financial challenge. She believed that the burden of the mistake of others should not fall on the taxpayers of Germany. Then the countries of Southern Europe criticized him very well.
Angela Merkel managed to solve the eurozone crisis through the International Monetary Fund and the Central Bank of Europe, but soon after that another major crisis was in front of her. In 2011, a fierce conflict started in Syria. The Syrian people began to turn to Europe. More than a million expatriates have entered Germany. At this time Angela Merkel stood with European countries battling the migrant crisis.
Decade of progress
Yana Pularin says that Angela Merkel was initially praised, but later she was surrounded.
She says, “In the beginning of the refugee crisis, the people of Germany were in support of keeping the borders open and allowing migrants to come into the country. Later people started thinking who we were allowed to come to. Was this the right decision and what things our control is going out. I think Merkel made that decision when she didn’t know how things would change and how people would react. “
In Germany, people were angry and Angela Merkel’s popularity declined rapidly. People’s support for the right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AFD) then began to grow. Then came the year 2020 and the corona epidemic. The wind trend changed again. Yana says that Angela proved to be the best chancellor of Germany during all the crises.
When people here look at the past 10 years, they see unprecedented happiness. Unemployment has decreased. The economy is strong. But the people of Germany are worried thinking that when Angela Merkel is no longer the Chancellor, then the management skills of the country can come under test during crisis situations.
‘Must repair engine’
One-tenth of Germany’s economy rests on car manufacture and supply. In Germany, about one million people are directly or in some way part of the auto sector. Germany has a lot at stake on this sector.
But now there is a need for change in this area. Professor Oliver Knachway of the University of Basel believes that the engine of Germany needs to be completely repaired.
He says, “One of the biggest challenges of Germany’s economy in the coming years will be to adopt a model of construction that is more sustainable and more environmentally friendly. Germany’s economy is very much built; especially the car is under construction. It has a great effect on global warming. This is an area where new discoveries keep happening. There is also a demand for workers in this. This area also affects politics a lot. “
Professor Oliver trusts the technical skills of Germany. But they also have a care. He is of the opinion that the demand for German cars rests on two things, which may not be as strong in the future. The first is the ever increasing number of middle class people in China and the second is the cheap labour available in Eastern Europe. He says that in the last ten years, these two reasons were important reasons for Germany’s success and economy to grow. But now the situation is changing.
How will inequality be overcome?
Professor Oliver says, “The biggest problem is the inequality created in Germany in the last twenty years. One-fourth of Germany’s total workforce works on low wages. In Germany, the sectors that get low wages, they are the lowest rung in Europe in terms of wages. “
Given this, maintaining social cohesion can be a major challenge for Angela Merkel’s successor.
Professor Oliver says, “A section of the middle class is worried about their future. They are concerned about the future of their children. This concern about the future has led to polarization in Germany. Experience this in other countries of the world. Have done. For example, Britain, USA, France or Italy. If the situation does not go in the direction of betterment, then there can be more volatility in Germany than ever before. “
The ground truth is that Germany is the most populous and richest country in the European Union. In such a situation, when there is an opportunity to show direction to the European Union, then only Germany decides the way forward, but it too has some screws.
Hans Kandanani, author of the book ‘The Paradox of German Power’ and an analyst tracking Europe’s politics, says, “In simple words, Germany is so powerful that it can set rules. But it doesn’t have that much power. It is possible to implement rules through domination. Other countries have so much power to break the rules. But they do not have enough power to change the rules. This was seen at the time of both Euro crisis and refugee crisis. . The same situation is still there in Europe. “
Hans is of the opinion that Germany often believes in happiness that she and Europe’s interests are broadly one.
Hans says that during the Eurozone crisis, Germany was trying to impose its interests on other countries. Then Angela Merkel took a tough stance on weaker countries. The aim was to protect the interests of Germany, but they presented the picture as if their steps were in the interest of Europe.
Hans Kandnani says, “From the beginning of the Euro crisis, Angela Merkel had set Germany’s strategy. She wanted to mold Europe into Germany’s image, especially in economic matters. The opinion of all the people in Germany was that this is the right way to postpone it. It is a problem in many ways, but Germany’s policy has remained the same. “
Will the relationship change?
It is also believed that the new US President Joe Biden would like to improve relations with Germany. But there are two big obstacles in its path. These are matters of economic sector and security.
Hans Kandnani says, “It remains to be seen to what extent the Biden administration is able to exert pressure on Germany to increase defense spending and improve its economic structure.”
China’s role is important in Germany’s economy. Hans says that this is such a political partnership that maintaining Angela Merkel’s successor will be a difficult challenge.
Hans Kandnani says, “Merkel has visited China almost every year since she became chancellor. In addition to the economic partnership, both countries have shared cabinet meetings. But now this situation has become difficult for Germany. Especially the US and this is what the Germans think about their relationship. “
However, how much the relationship will change will be determined by the strategy of the new Chancellor.
Who will be the next chancellor?
The big question is also who will replace Angela Merkel?
Angela Merkel left the command of CDU in the year 2018. In his place, Anne Kramp-Karenbauer was elected as the leader. The people of Germany have been calling him Mini Merkel. But over time, it became clear that they did not have the same dominance as Angela Merkel. He resigned in February last year.
Journalist Melanie Aman, who keeps close watch on German politics, says, “It was a sad chapter for the CDU. When these women came, they were highly praised, a lot of expectations were raised about them. Then it was believed that she surely will be Chancellor. “
And now, when Angela Merkel’s farewell is also close, many people of Germany want her to continue in office even after October. Merkel has denied this and meanwhile the CDU has chosen Armin Lashet as the new leader. Lashet is the Chief Minister of the state of North Rhine Westphalia. He defeated Angela Merkel’s old rival Frederick Marts at the party conference. Norbert Roetgen, the third candidate in the race, was eliminated in the first round. Armin Lashet has good relations with Muslim groups
Says Melanie Aman, “There was a time when his popularity within the CDU had decreased considerably. The reason for this was that he used to mix with Muslim members quite a lot. Then he was called Turk Armin. But now strong Melanie Aman is of the opinion that now the new leader will most likely become the next chancellor.
She says, “Social democrats are struggling in Germany right now. Their performance in the election is deteriorating. Ever since Merkel became the Chancellor, her base has been reduced in every election. If she will also field a candidate for the post of Chancellor So people will be surprised.”
Ever since the Corona epidemic began, support for the right-wing party AFD has also declined. During this time the Green Party has progressed.
According to Melanie Aman, “At one time his performance in the election was so good that he was considered strong from the CDU. It was being talked about that one day the Chancellor of Germany would be from the Green Party. It will be interesting to see if he continues to succeed. “
However, it is currently decided that after nine months, the people of Germany will elect the new chancellor. But it is not yet decided whether Lashet should become the next Chancellor. He may face a challenge from Health Minister Yens Schupan and CSU leader Markus Zuder.
Regardless of who becomes the Chancellor, the question will remain whether Germany will be able to handle itself without Angela Merkel. At the moment, like all countries of the world, Germany is also facing the shock on the economic front from the Corona epidemic. The challenges will also be to deal with the common problems of other countries of Europe.
The next Chancellor of Germany will not only have to show understanding but also have to present a comprehensive view, for which Angela Merkel was also criticized.
