She stands for stability, pragmatism, cool mind. With the general election and the formation of a new government coalition, Angela Merkel (67) is stepping down from the national and international political stage after 16 years in the Chancellery.
During her reign, the German Chancellor has seen five British, eight Italian, eight Japanese, four French and four American presidents. She stood up to rulers like Vladimir Putin (68), Recep Tayyip Erdogan (67) or Xi Jinping (68) without offending them.
The leadership role in the financial crisis, the euro crisis, the refugee crisis and the corona pandemic earned Angela Merkel criticism, but also a lot of respect. Sometimes the pastor’s daughter from the former GDR was ennobled “the most powerful woman in the world”. Now that she’s going, there is even nostalgia here and there.
US President calls Angela Merkel a friend
When the US President welcomed Angela Merkel to the White House in June, he called her a friend. “I’ll miss you at the summit,” says Joe Biden (78). Vladimir Putin also shows respect despite all the political differences. Merkel is rightly regarded as one of the most powerful leaders in Europe and the world, the Kremlin chief flattered her on her last visit to Moscow. And Putin added: “We will always receive you with joy in Russia”. And through the Chinese state media, China’s autocratic ruler Xi Jinping praised the good long-term relationship with the Chancellor.
Tremendous power with great modesty
The farewell in the international media is also predominantly friendly. The US broadcaster CNN emphasizes Merkel’s “remarkably eventful period of power” and her reputation for international stability and prudence. “Le Monde” writes: “With the departure of Angela Merkel, France will definitely lose a partner with whom it has worked closely.” The newspaper also admits the chancellor’s less than visionary European policy. And in Italy, “La Repubblica” values the quality of the German Chancellor “showing great modesty with enormous power”.
An international study by the Hamburg market and opinion research institute Ipsos confirms the outgoing Chancellor’s popularity at home and abroad. More than every second respondent from 28 countries (58 percent) draws a positive assessment of Angela Merkel, and every fifth one a rather negative one.
In their home country, more than two thirds (67 percent) are satisfied with their work, 30 percent are not. According to the Ipsos study, Angela Merkel is most popular in the neighboring states of the Netherlands with 77 percent and in France and Belgium with 75 percent.