•Guns for fourth term
By Emma Emeozor
German Chancellor Angela Merkel stunned her opponents when she announced she would run for a fourth term in 2017, thus putting herself in the political class of the country’s longest- running post-war leaders, Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl. If she wins, she would have ruled Germany for 16 years!
Hailed as the “leader of the free world,” Merkel is the first woman and the first person born in former communist Eastern Germany to preside over Europe’s most populous country and strongest economy. The announcement puts to an end rumours that she would resign before the end of her third term. Merkel had cast doubts over a fourth term bid after she repeatedly said her “ability to continue would be contingent on good health.” Some members of her political party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), also had sent out mixed signals when they said “the next parliamentary elections would be difficult to win with Merkel, but impossible to win without her”.
Announcing the fourth term bid, Merkel had said “the decision was anything but trivial.” However, what is significant is that the decision is coming at a time when the wave of populism is sweeping across Europe and the United States. Merkel has become a symbol of liberalism in Europe. She “specified that the resurgence of a political discourse characterised by ‘hate’ was one of the reasons she had decided to run again.” This is even as she warned that it will be “absurd” for anybody to think that she alone can halt the populist movement. “No person alone, not even the most experienced, can turn things to good in Germany, Europe and the world, especially not a Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,” she said.
Already, there is apprehension in Europe over the populist fervour sweeping through the region. In Britain, Brexit was the result of populism. Austria, France and Italy are swinging toward populism. The French Prime Minister recently warned that “Europe can die” as a result of the populist wave, coupled with “the economic and political dissonance” in EU countries. Writing in the Washington Post, Rick Noack aptly said: “In the eyes of many, the victory of Donald Trump has made Merkel, perhaps, the most influential individual in the West who is not a populist.” The hope of many is that she wins a fourth term and halts the surge of populism in Germany as a strengthened far-right group, the Alternative For Germany (AFG), steps up its campaign for the 2017 elections.
Early start
Born on July 17, 1954, in Hamburg, Merkel’s father was Lutherian pastor. She studied physics at the University of Leipzig and had her doctorate in quantum chemistry. She worked as a chemist at a scientific academy in East Berlin. Her first marriage to fellow student, Ulrich Merkel, in 1977 collapsed four years after. She would later marry Joachim Sauer, a chemistry professor, in 1998.
Popularly known as “Iron Chancellor” and “Mutti” (Mom), Merkel’s journey into politics started in 1989, when she joined the former Eastern Germany democracy movement. Reports say that after the fall of the Berlin Wall, “she got a job as East German government spokeswoman following the first democratic elections.” Events leading to her rise in politics occurred in quick succession. “Two months before Germany’s reunification in 1990, she joined the CDU” and the following year she was appointed Minister for Women and Youth in the government of Kohl. Interestingly, she was vocal in calling for Kohl’s resignation when he was involved in a “slush” fund scandal in 1999. She became the party’s leader in 2000. According to a BBC investigation, “early in her political career, she was seen as uncharismatic, provincial and rather dowdy, and tried to shake off that image with a series of bright colourful outfits and a new hairstyle.”
A strong voice in Europe
Merkel is a strong voice in Europe whose views are highly respected. She is the architect of the trade pact between Europe and the U.S., the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The pact (though stalled) is expected to “create the world’s largest free trade zone.” It is one of the trade pacts U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is highly critical of.
In her argument in support of the pact, Merkel said, “openness will bring us more security than isolation.” She insists that “trade deals help to shape globalisation. We should put our trust in similarities, in multilateralism, when forming it.” Also, she believes in a strong European Defense Union that “would deepen military cooperation within the EU and strengthen the bloc’s defense against mounting external threats.” She allayed fears that such a union would compete with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Rather, a European Defense Union “would help reinforce NATO rather than compete against it,” she said. As if to further reassure her NATO partners, she pledged her government’s “commitment to raise military spending despite domestic opposition.” Without any pretense, she appealed for patience as Germany “would need time to bring its defense budget to 2 per cent of the gross domestic product,” which is the benchmark set by NATO for its members. Germany currently spends 1.2 per cent of GDP on its military, compared with 3.4 per cent for the U.S., according to reports.
On the influx of migrants into Europe, she boldly advocated “Open Door” policy even as majority of European countries opposed the development. Ignoring criticism, she pleaded for compassion for the refugees. Indeed, she had to suspend EU’s rule requiring asylum seekers to register in the first member state they entered. This was to reduce the suffering of the over one million refugees that streamed into Germany from Asia and Africa, mostly Muslims. For this singular humanitarian gesture, she was honoured by the United Nations, and Times magazine “Lionised her as its person of the year and de facto leader of the European Union”.
After Trump was declared U.S. President-elect, she was quick to tell him to “follow Western values and respect human dignity.” She warned that this was the condition “for any cooperation.”
Merkel had a rethink on Germany’s nuclear project following the 2011 Fukushima power plant disaster in Japan. She abandoned the project, to the surprise of the country’s more leftt-wing parties. Her action was a message to Europe to value human beings more than weapons of destruction.
At the peak of the Russia-Ukraine crisis over Crimea in 2014, she was the voice of the West that prevailed on Vladimir Putin to tread softly and ensure a speedy resolution of the crisis. Described as a scientist with low-key manners, Merkel had never claimed to be first among EU leaders. At a recent press conference with Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, she declared that “One person alone can never solve everything,” adding “we are strong only together. In that I want to do what my duty is as Chancellor.”
Knocks, praise for an Amazon
Leading Germany, a country with 81 million inhabitants, requires dexterity, patience, tolerance and right thinking to succeed. Merkel knows this too well. Reports say one of her distinct character traits has been to often wait longer than others before making decisions. “And these cautious ways have served her well, sidelining many critics or rivals as Germany awaited her views and allowing her time to study the political winds and change course when necessary,” one report said. If anything, her greatest achievement is stabilising the nation’s economy and promoting sustainable development and growth.
Germany adopted the Social Market Economy model in 1946. It is a combination of welfare state and capitalism built on Christian teachings and ethics. She has sustained the model, using it to scale over recession. And this has been Merkel’s magic. Even her critics agree that she “stands for reliability and consistency.”
Besides her decision to abandon a nuclear project, she also brought relief to the people when she agreed to a minimum wage in some sectors. She promptly reacted to Trump’s threat to withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, expressing concern over the negative impact the action would have on Germany and Europe at large. She feared China might take advantage of the situation and sway over Asian countries. Already, China has said it hopes to conclude a pan-Asia deal, an Asia-wide trade pact. Addressing the German parliament on the issue, she said: “I don’t know who will benefit from this. I only know one thing, there will continue to be trade pacts, and these will not have the standards that this accord would have had.” Some analysts are of the view that Europe should leave the vacuum left by TPP’s imminent collapse and pursue new bilateral trade deals with Asian countries. But economists have warned that Germany could be worse hit by growing protectionism and the collapse of the TPP. This is chiefly because its economy is heavily reliant on exports. This explains Merkel’s worry.
Interestingly, Merkel announced her fourth term bid though her approval rating has declined. In recent times, she has received several knocks, especially for her “Open Door” policy for immigrants. She lost local election in her constituency to the new emerging AFG. She was heckled and labelled a “disgrace” during a speech on migrants in parliament. But she remained unruffled. A summary of factors responsible for her current low rating include the rise of AFG, sexual assaults on women by Arab immigrants and a wave of terrorist attacks.
Merkel, not afraid of opponents
Merkel did not rush to announce her fourth term bid. It took her time to decide. Certainly, she is not afraid of her opponents, from within and outside. None of the potential candidates in her party appears ready to take on her job in what she describes as “distinctly difficult, even in secure times,” reports said. Her level of preparedness and self-confidence could be found in her words: “this election will be difficult, like no other election since reunification.”
For now, there is speculation that European Parliament President Martin Schulz is quitting office to challenge her. Reports quoted Schulz as telling a news conference that he would not contest re-election as speaker of the EU legislature. Rather, he would campaign for a parliamentary seat in Berlin next year. Schulz, 60, is a Social Democrat. He is yet to confirm the rumour. For now, admirers and supporters of Merkel say if former SDU Chancellor Khol made fourth term, nothing stops her from repeating that feat.