Angela merkel

Christian von Stetten, a member of Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), said on Saturday members of parliament — and not those negotiating the coalition — would have the final say on a deal. "The coalition agreement is not the bible,” von Stetten,  who chairs the Small and  Medium-size Business Association of the CDU party in parliament, told the German daily newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine. A significant number of Merkel's conservatives are dismayed that the SPD, which saw its support plummet to 20.5 percent at the last general election in September, claimed six ministries in the coalition deal, including the powerful Finance Ministry. The CDU garnered 32.9 percent of the vote. Read more: Angela Merkel last East German standing in new cabinet The conservative-leaning mass-circulation daily newspaper Bild has accused Merkel of "gifting” the government to the center-left SPD. Von Stetten, who has claimed the … [Read more...] about Germany: Angela Merkel’s CDU critics threaten to block coalition projects

In her traditional New Year's address, Germany's chancellor first directs her words at the people in her own country: "My fellow citizens." Yet these words should also be listened to attentively beyond Germany's borders. When Angela Merkel takes stock of what she sees as an "extremely difficult political year," she does so from two perspectives: national and international. The chancellor begins her speech with an inward look at the long and difficult process of forming a government after the 2017 federal elections. The process lasted six months and even after it was formed, "there was contention and we were highly preoccupied with ourselves." Merkel, a member of the Christian Democrats (CDU), does not mention any examples. But two are memorable: the constant disputes with Interior Minister Horst Seehofer from the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and spats with the Social Democrats (SPD), her coalition partners. Most of them were over Germany's … [Read more...] about Angela Merkel’s New Year’s speech: ‘Democracy thrives on change’

With less than four weeks to go before regional elections on October 14, Bavaria's conservative party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), is reeling. Since July the CSU, which is accustomed to racking up absolute majorities, has languished below the 40 percent mark in public opinion surveys. As is the case elsewhere in the country, the rise of the far-right populist Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has eaten into support for traditional conservatives in Germany's largest state by area. You might think that the looming electoral debacle in Bavaria would be bad news for conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel and the CSU's national sister party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). But in many respects, it's not. The AfD has proved disruptive to German politics on a host of levels, and this is a case in point. Worried that it was being outflanked on the right, the CSU made a point of distancing itself from Merkel on key issues, including the chancellor's welcoming policy toward refugees … [Read more...] about Angela Merkel and Bavaria: What Germany’s regional election means for the chancellor

With Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer succeeding Angela Merkel as leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the party was in need of a replacement for the former as general secretary. At the final day of the party conference in Hamburg on Saturday, delegates duly filled that void by electing 33-year-old Paul Ziemiak with 63 percent of the vote. Kramp-Karrenbauer herself put forward Ziemiak, the head of the Young Union, for the office, even though he is more conservative than she is herself. The centrist Kramp-Karrenbauer's decision is a clear gesture of reconciliation to traditional conservatives after squeaking by her more right-wing rivals Friedrich Merz and Jens Spahn in the party leadership vote on Friday. Read more: Merkel's successor must shake up the waning CDU Watch video 12:04 Share Paul Ziemiak: "Country before party" Send Facebook Twitter google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2pVEO … [Read more...] about Angela Merkel’s CDU elects its youngest party secretary in history

An election for the leading position of a German party usually generates little or no interest abroad. But not this time. In recent days, major newspapers such as The New York Times reported more prominently on the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party conference than on the funeral of former US President George H. W. Bush. The world was watching. Across the globe, television stations went into breaking news mode when the next CDU leader was announced. And the reason for the unusual attention has a name: Angela Merkel. For many people, the German chancellor is the world's most important political figure. A world in which the machismo of Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rages unabated. Merkel has been regarded by many as the voice of reason; the last bastion of balance in times that are deeply divided and characterized by dangerously rising nationalism. Within her own country, however, Merkel's splendor … [Read more...] about Opinion: Angela Merkel holds on to chancellery