Fredrik Erixon

Angela Merkel is already making life difficult for her successor

“May Day, May Day. We are sinking.”

“This is the German Coast Guard. What are you thinking?”

This advert for Berlitz, the language school, is a good metaphor for German politics and the decline of Angela Merkel. After this weekend’s election blow in Hesse, where support for her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party fell by 11 points, she is now standing down as the leader of her party. Merkel also announced that she will quit as chancellor in 2021.

This isn’t surprising. In the past few months, Merkel has defended her position as party leader and repeatedly said that she should stay in that job as long as she leads the country. The reality, however, is that – politically – she has been a sinking ship ever since the spring federal election last year, when the CDU scored its worst election result since 1949.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in