The next German election is slated for 2021. I doubt Merkel lasts that long.
The Wall Street Journal reports, Critics Prepare to Challenge Merkel’s Chancellorship as She Steps Down From Party Leadership Role
“As a chairwoman and chancellor I bear the responsibility for everything, for success and for failure. There was a signal that this cannot go on. The image of the government is unacceptable,” said the chancellor at a press conference Monday.
Ms. Merkel said that she won’t run for chancellor again at the next scheduled elections in 2021 and will retire from politics then.
At the same time, she stated her intention to remain as chancellor until then and appealed for her government to carry on. “It would be a joke of history to end the coalition only after six months in office,” she said.
Joke of History
A “Joke of History” is likely on the way. Merkel and SPD brought this upon themselves.
This last attempt was “grand” only in name. Further losses for SPD are highly likely.
Merkel’s welcoming of millions of refugees splintered Germany.
The loss of the center was to the gain of the Greens and AfD at the expense of CDU/CSU and SPD.
Were elections held today, it would take a three-way “grand coalition” of CDU/CSU, SPD, and FDP to rule.
But SPD will continue to decline until it provided voters a reason to exit. That will take SPD in opposition, not in a coalition.
Merkel’s Legacy
Merkel can take credit for starting a refugee crisis, the splintering of Germany and Brexit . That will be her legacy.
The CDU party leadership vote is in December. Merkel will last that long. Be prepared to kiss he goodbye shortly after that.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
“The CDU party leadership vote is in December. Merkel will last that long. Be prepared to kiss he goodbye shortly after that.”
A hard swift kick in the slats on her way out is what she so richly deserves.
But, but…. what about the increase in Greens? Aren’t they lunatics who want mostly open borders? They shot up about as much as AfD. What direction is Germany actually going in?
They are lunatics..and they have no plan, nothing at all in regards to the refugee crisis. They just want to take ALL refugees regardless if criminals or not. The most surprising fact is however that EVERYONE criticized Merkel for opening up the boarders and the greens took it a step further..they wanted to take the criminal killer “Sami” back to Germany..
Germany will become the next Sweden – very soon…
Merkel should have been VOTED OUT in the summer of 2015 by German Parliament Bundestag because her POLITICAL CHOICES were irresponsible and attracted more and more Syrians to Europe despite them already being SAFE once they had reached Turkey.
Greece BETRAYED every European country by stopping border controls, stopping detention of asylum seekers, releasing all asylum seekers previously put into detention and stopping registering of asylum seeker and Greece just pushed all of these migrants toward Northern Europe and Western Europe.
Greece registered only 11,000 asylum seekers in 2015 while PUSHING 1+ million migrants further into Europe.
Greece’s leftist-communist Syriza government led by leftist-communist Alexis Tsipras should be put into a trial and ALL EU funding to Greece should be completely stopped for what they did to Europe together with Merkel who acted incompetently and insanely through 2015-2016.
“Merkel can take credit for starting a refugee crisis, the splintering of Germany and Brexit . That will be her legacy.”
Britain, France and Hillary are more responsible for the refugee crisis, having destroyed Libya and sent Qaddafi’s weapons, and jihadist enemies, to Syria. However, Merkel enabled this by admitting huge numbers of refugees and that has clearly splintered Germany.
Merkel approved the elevation of “when it gets serious you have to lie” Juncker to head the EU over objections of Cameron and that helped Brexit.
There must have been some big clashes of egos for Merkel to give up anything. Maybe someone will leak the story to the press in the next 6-8 weeks.
Not so fast.
What chance she was the best available and still is?
Better the devil we know.
There is every chance the successor makes Merkel look good.
Also a good chance of turmoil.
Imagine German export problems on global slow-down/China, German political change, Euro problems, bank credit/derivative problems, shift to the right in next year EU elections & Brexit. Have I missed anything?
Is all this in the price of the Euro yet in $ terms?
Too many moving parts to predict what’s next.
& i wouldn’t trust an axis of Germany/France, Russia & Turkey. Danger ahead. Strange & unpredictable things can happen leading to wars.
The US is best not thinking France/Germany are any longer full allies.
Lets hope she is overthrown very quickly. It is a pity we wont be able to undo the mess this stupid woman has created. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
What does it take to replace the Chancellor in Germany? Is this like a UK Prime Minister who can be gone by breakfast time by a vote of Parliament members? Insights gratefully accepted!
Thank goodness that stupid, liberal woman is gone. She will not be missed.
The evil woman could be around for 3 more years??
Uggh. That’s no defeat. I only hope she finds herself and her complicit partners on trial for destroying Germany. ITs a crime.
“Merkel can take credit for starting a refugee crisis, the splintering of Germany and Brexit . That will be her legacy.”
You can also credit her for the end of Euro. What a legacy after a couple of decades.
It would be unprecedented to continue as chancellor without being the party leader…and why any successor of her in the party helm would like to wait in line?