Epoch of Merkel is over: another woman will take her place

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, December 7, officially resigned as the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader. She held this position for 18 years. Angela Kramp-Karrenbauer became the successor of Angela Merkel as head of the CDU.

Фото: Depositphotos

At the CDU congress, she thanked her fellow party members for their work and gave a farewell speech, according to the OstWest TV channel’s Facebook page, writes “Columnist«.

“Today I want to say goodbye to my employees at the CDU at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation center and say thank you for their work, hard work, ideas, criticism. It was an unforgettable 20 years,” the politician said.

She stressed that during the years of her rule, the number of unemployed in Germany was reduced from five to two million.

“I was not born either a chancellor or the head of the party. I have always tried to do my job conscientiously. And I always knew that the day would come when I would have to complete it. It was an honor for me!” Angela Merkel finished her speech.

After the final speech, the chancellor’s party members applauded her for 20 minutes, and many even cried, holding up posters with the inscription “Thank you, boss, for 18 years of chairmanship of the CDU.”

The ruling CDU party in Germany elected 56-year-old Annegret Kramp-Carrenbauer instead of Angela Merkel to be their leader.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer received 517 votes from 999 at a congress of the Christian Democratic Union on Friday in Hamburg, defeating Merkel Friedrich Merz, a political opponent, in the second round, who was voted for by an 482 deputy.

However, 62-year-old Friedrich Merz will soon be able to try to become party leader again - if he wants, of course. The head of the CDU is elected for only two years.

56-year-old Kramp-Karrenbauer was the Prime Minister of the German state of Saarland, and last year she held the post of general secretary, that is, the head of the CDU apparatus.

The victory of the ACC - as the Germans abbreviate its name - does not promise big changes in German politics, but some changes can still be expected, writes Air force.

What will happen to Merkel?

Angela Merkel, having announced at the end of October, after the failures of the CDU in the elections in Bavaria and Hesse, her intention to leave the post of head of the party, simultaneously announced that she plans to remain chancellor until the end of the parliamentary term - until the fall of 2021.

Фото: Depositphotos

Kramp-Karrenbauer is a nominee of Merkel herself, and, according to most German commentators, she will be loyal to the chancellor, even leading the party.

That is, I would like to limit the forecast regarding the political course of the CDU and Germany as a whole as a result of Kramp-Karrenbauer’s victory to four words: “Everything will remain as it is.”

But such a forecast may turn out to be erroneous, since in this case Merkel’s government will quite possibly be destroyed by its current coalition allies - the Socialists and the CSU. Their ratings, like that of the CDU, are falling, while some politicians from these parties believe that the problem can be solved by leaving the alliance with the CDU and abdicating responsibility for Merkel’s policies, especially regarding immigrants.

In addition, the majority of Germans want to leave Merkel: a survey conducted this fall by the sociological company INSA showed that almost two thirds of Germans (62,2%) believe that Merkel should quit his post as Chancellor next year.

But while Merkel does not speak about resignation.

“I don’t need to be a party chairman to maintain a close connection with this party. And I remain chancellor,” Merkel said in a speech at the congress, after which delegates gave her a six-minute standing ovation, shouting: “Thank you, boss!”

What does ACC think about Russia

During the election campaign, ACC tried to get rid of the “mini-Merkel” image, and one of the issues on which it demonstrated some divergence of positions with its predecessor was Russia: Kramp-Karrenbauer said that it was necessary to be tougher with Moscow.

Speaking on the ARD television channel, Kramp-Karrenbauer said that in connection with the shelling and seizure by Russia of three Ukrainian ships with crews in the Kerch Strait, Germany should take a tougher position towards Moscow and, in particular. reconsider the attitude towards the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

True, this revision in the description of Kramp-Karrenbauer does not look too radical: she suggested thinking about limiting the volumes of natural gas that Russia will supply via this pipeline.

In addition, Kramp-Karrenbauer told reporters that the EU and the United States should consider banning access to European ports for Russian ships based in the Sea of ​​Azov.

What will happen to immigration policy?

Judging by the statements of the ACC, there is nothing fundamentally new, even if she becomes chancellor instead of Merkel in the foreseeable future - German commentators admit this possibility.

The ACC speaks out on this topic with caution: it says, for example, that immigration policies need to be explained more often and more insistently to the electorate. Whether the policy itself needs to be changed, ACC has not yet said what makes the Germans suppose that it supports the Merkel line for immigrants.

Kramp-Karrenbauer is an exemplary member of the Catholic Church, a mother of three children, and in general the German press describes her views as follows: she is slightly to the left of Merkel on socio-economic issues and slightly more conservative in other respects.

She, for example, opposes abortion and same-sex marriage.

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