Victory for Merkel

AS ANTICIPATED, Angela Merkel’s party came in first in the German national election on Sunday, assuring her of a fourth term as chancellor, even if Ms Merkel’s centre-right Christian Democrats and their Bavarian allies came in slightly below expectations, with roughly a third of the vote.

Ms Merkel’s bland slogan – “For a Germany where life is good and we enjoy it” – summed up a campaign that promised to continue the reassuring blend of moderation, stability, dignity and determined centrism that “Mutti” (mommy) has steadfastly pursued in an era of extremist politics. It was reassuring, too, for the outside world, in which the chancellor has provided consistent leadership in European integration, compassion toward refugees, liberal democracy and Western values. But in a country where coalition governments are the norm, voting is only the start of a process that can take months before a government emerges. Here Ms Merkel faces a formidable challenge.

For starters, for the first time in German postWorld War II history, a far-right, anti-Muslim, anti-EU party – the Alternative for Germany – garnered enough votes, more than 13 percent, to enter Parliament. That in itself is not surprising at a time when populist parties have made gains across Europe and in the US. But the emergence of a nationalist party, one of whose leaders thinks Germans should be proud of their soldiers in both world wars, has been a source of distress.

In her victory statement, Ms Merkel spoke of bringing back the discontented voters who cast their ballots for Alternative for Germany.

Hopefully, that goal – and negotiations with potential coalition partners – will not entail erosion of the values the chancellor has defended in the past. Her handling of any challenge she has faced in previous terms, is open to criticism. But her non-ideological leadership has helped Germany, Europe and the world. Its continuation counterbalances the demagogy loosed on the world.