Auf Wiedersehen Ms Merkel

German chancellor was a voice of compromise on the world stage

Yesterday, some 60 million German citizens headed to the polls in a general election to elect a new federal parliament and decide who will lead Europe’s strongest economy for the next four years. And for the first time in more than 16 years, there will be a new chancellor as Angela Merkel retires from office after four terms.

For many German voters, they will be voting for a new future, one where the former scientist from East German won’t be a commanding figure on the national stage. At 67, she is retiring after being the longest-serving chancellor in modern German history and the de facto leader of the European Union too for much of that time.

On the European and world stage, Merkel was a leader who seemed slow to act but in truth she carefully weighed options and build a coalition of those willing to compromise to find the most practical way forward.

Careful management

Her oversight of the German economy has ensure that it emerged stronger and more dominant from a series of crisis that shook other, more debt-laden economies. During the European Union’s debt crisis, her careful management and persuasion prevented southern European nations going the ways of Greece, Ireland and Portugal in needing bailouts from the IMF and the European Central Bank. Throughout the fraught Brexit negotiations as the United Kingdom sought to unsettle European unity, Merkel was a voice of unity. And when it came to imposing measures against Russia for its actions in Ukraine and the Crimea, Merkel was a force of unity through compromise and practicality.

On the world stage, Merkel’s presence has been one of reason and resilience, having dealt with four US presidents, three French leaders and six UK PMs. While Germany may not be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Merkel’s 16-year tenure as chancellor ensured that Germany’s voice of reason and pragmatism was heard.

Now, as Germany enters a new phase, so indeed does Europe and the echelon of world leaders. It is she who led the EU against the right-wind influences of Hungary and Poland, a reminder of the dangers that such ideologies cause. Her prudent easing of fiscal rules means that the EU can now rebuild from coronavirus. But it is her humanity, her caring, her openness that ought to be remembered. Yes, she will be sorely missed.