It appears that Angela Merkel will be the chancellor again in 2017. No other candidates fit for the job seem to be in sight.
She is 61 years old. Boiling with energy, without a vestige of weariness. Taking the office a decade ago, Merkel has been re-elected as the leader of her CDU party twice, not even breaking a sweat. Last time, there was no need for sophistication with her image. Merkel was smiling from the posters, looking forward, into sustainable, prosperous future. The signature was "Chancellor for Germany". That was all. No promises. A familiar face was enough.
So far, Merkel has been enjoying the lucky streak. Greece's debt crisis threatening to bury her career and disintegrate the EU has suddenly been resolved. The economy is on the rise. Everyone needs the Made-in-Germany machines. The population's income is growing. The inflation rate is zero. The unemployment rate is below 5%. What more is there to ask for?
Germans are happy. Two thirds of the voters feel consistent reverence for Merkel, and they would gladly cast their votes for her. All other competitors fall a long way short of her level. If the elections were held today, Christian Democrats would have earned the absolute majority of votes. All thanks to Merkel's popularity.
Her international authority is indisputable. She is solid in protecting Germany's interests – a country aspiring after foreign political weight that would be on par with its economic power. The whole world deems Merkel as the "voice of the European Union". She has topped Forbes' The World's Most Powerful Women ranking twice in a row.
German media analysts, who are unhappy with the government by default, say that Merkel lacks thoroughness. Or magnitude. Or global message. They are displeased that she keeps a problem on the agenda until the very last moment, that she follows the do-no-harm principle. However, that seems to be what suits Germans. Just as Merkel, they choose "a bird in the hand", predictability, absence of abrupt moves. A chancellor always orienting towards the majority blends in with the country.
New challenges lie ahead of her. This year, at least 800,000 foreigners will request asylum in Germany, that is four times more than in 2014. The government is perplexed. There is no room for the newly arriving Syrians, Iraqis, immigrants from Balkans. Their integration, health services, language lessons cost billions. Tensions between the refugees and the dense native population inclined to xenophobia are escalating.
But that is why Merkel is indispensable. About a million migrants this year. Maybe another million next year. How will Germans stomach such inflow? The refugee problem brings grist to the mill of right-wing populists. They have been beyond the German parliament thus far, but they may slip in. That would be the worst-case scenario for the leading politicians – both the ones at power and the ones in the opposition ranks. No one wants to rock the boat. Merkel, on the other hand, is a proven and seasoned helmswoman.
