The women who have helped take Merkel to the top
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s remarkable hold on power may owe much to her ‘girl camp’, writes Matthew Qvortrup
After 12 years in office, she is regarded as “the most powerful woman in Europe”. And when Germany goes to the polls tomorrow, few would bet against Angela Merkel winning a fourth term as Chancellor. Many credit her longevity to stability in a world that seems increasingly in turmoil. Others point to her willingness to go against her party; throwing open the country’s doors at the peak of the migrant crisis. Some believe her strength lies in her adaptability – swinging between hard politician and “Mutti”, the matriarch of her nation. But might there be another explanation?
Whispers in German media suggest that the secret to Merkel’s success is her “girl camp” – an entourage of righthand women who have outsmarted the old boys’ network and kept their boss in power through “mean girl” tactics.
This secretive group – so private they are rarely photographed – are at the heart of Merkel’s government.
The best known is Beate Baumann. The 54-year-old Cambridge graduate is said to be the only person, other than her husband, Joachim Sauer, that the Chancellor trusts unquestioningly.
“I need someone who can look after me,” Merkel is reported to have said in 1992, when she was appointed women’s minister in Helmut Kohl’s cabinet, and her staff of mostly male civil servants treated her with ill-disguised condescension. She was introduced to Baumann and the two clicked instantly.
It was the beginning of the strongest partnership in modern German history. Baumann became Merkel’s spokesperson, before being promoted to chief of staff in 1995.
Baumann has been called Merkel’s “shadow”, but, make no mistake, she is every bit her equal. When Merkel was under pressure during one of her first international conferences and looked on the verge of tears, Baumann reportedly hissed: “Get your act together, woman.”
Merkel did as she was told.
She is not often physically by the Chancellor’s side, staying behind to look after the office – effectively leader in her absence. But the two are in constant contact via Merkel’s battered (and encrypted) Nokia.
Onlookers have observed that they favour the same discreet dress code: trouser suits and short hair. Neither has children.
Since 1999, Merkel has also relied heavily on Eva Christiansen, a 47-yearold economist; her speech writer, spin doctor and problem solver. Christiansen is credited with inventing the “Merkel sound”, her slightly mumbling and non-threatening style of talking.
A glance at her cabinet confirms that Mutti has surrounded herself with powerful women. Ursula von der Leyen, defence minister, Johanna Wanka, education minister, and Julia Klöckner, vice president of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party – a former beauty queen, rumoured to be Merkel’s preferred successor – are among the country’s most influential politicians. Their prominence has directly impacted a number of policies, with the Chancellor pushing through measures to help female start-ups and set targets for getting more women on boards.
Of course, Merkel does seek guidance from men, but they are not among her most trusted confidantes. And like Theresa May, she has had to deal with her fair share of “naughty boys”. Many male politicians have underestimated the Chancellor – not helped by her tendency to cry when criticised early in her career. Today, she uses humour to neutralise any aggression. Even Vladimir Putin knows that strong-arm tactics do not work with Merkel.
There have been many comparisons between Merkel and Theresa May. The Prime Minister has also been noted for promoting women into her inner circle; Amber Rudd, Justine Greening, and former adviser Fiona Hill. And the 2015 German word of the year, Merklen (“to Merkel”) – meaning to take an agonisingly long time to make a decision – could equally be applied to Mrs May. Interestingly, both are also the daughters of vicars.
So why does Merkel lean so heavily on her girl camp? The answer might not lie, as some have suggested, in her desire to help other women climb the ladder, so much as the story of her own rise to power.
In 1999, reports surfaced that Chancellor Helmut Kohl had received illegal party funds. Merkel, then environment secretary, swiftly put into place a carefully orchestrated campaign. She denounced her former mentor – the man who once called her “mein Mädchen” (“my girl”) – in an article and aimed to take over leadership of the party. When Kohl heard about her ambitions, he responded dismissively: “No, she can’t do it.” Ouch.
At the time, the CDU was run by white men from south-west Germany. For Kohl, it had been a no-brainer that the next party leader would be found among them. The names Friedrich Merz, Roland Koch and Jürgen Rüttgers are unknown to British readers. Yet, in Germany, these young conservative Catholics were prominent members of what was known as the “altar boy generation”. They held traditional views about the role of women: Kinder, Küche, Kirche (children, kitchen and church). These men were already running some of the largest of Germany’s 16 states, and looked like Kohl’s natural successors.
But the rise to power of this Protestant woman, from East Germany, spelt the demise of the altar boys. One by one, and with a “Merkevellian” touch, she and her female advisers outmanoeuvred the Catholic old boys’ network.
Merkel is no sweet, maternal figure. While appearing outwardly supportive, she and her girl camp allegedly placed media stories that undermined the credibility of the altar boys.
Their tactics led to a showdown with Pope Benedict XVI. As a conservative traditionalist, Bavarian-born Josef Ratzinger was not enamoured by Merkel. When she became CDU leader, one of the Pope’s closest confidants, the Archbishop of Cologne, Joachim Meisner, complained that she “was living in sin”. Merkel quickly got married but never forgot the insult.
In true ‘mean girl’ style, she waited for her moment. When the Pope wanted to readmit a former Holocaust denier into the Church, Merkel denounced the pontiff. Knowing that the Catholic men in her party were duty-bound to defend him, the altar boys were left exposed as having views that ran counter to the values of modern Germany. Merkel and her girl camp, one. Altar boys, nil.
It is all but certain that German voters will hand Mutti another four years, with polls this week giving her close to 40 per cent of the vote. Male politicians should beware. Merkel’s team recently said, jokingly, that she had been reading Playboy to get an insight into the mind of Donald Trump.
This mean girl does her homework. Those who underestimate German girl power do so at their peril.
Angela Merkel: Europe’s Most Influential
Leader by Matthew Qvortrup is published by Duckworth. To order for £12.99, call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk