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Germany after Merkel

Angela Merkel will soon step down as Chancellor after sixteen years in power.

Angela Merkel is the longest serving leader in the European Union. Known as Mutti, or mother, to her supporters, Merkel is credited with keeping Germany stable in the midst of global and European crises with her steely yet non-confrontational style of leadership. But the German Chancellor is stepping down later this year when the country goes to polls. Voters will then decide whether to choose a successor who'll maintain her style, or back more dramatic change. Support for Mrs Merkel’s CDU has dropped after a series of unpopular lockdowns and a patchy coronavirus vaccine rollout. The Greens, who are promising more climate-friendly policies at home and a pivot towards Nato and the United States abroad, are polling well. And the far right still garners hundreds of thousands of votes. So what does the future hold for Germany after 16 years of Angela Merkel? Will it now enter a period of uncertainty after years of stability? Does it have the right leadership to navigate the uncertainties of a post-Covid economic recovery? And how will it balance the economic and strategic interests of the United States and EU on one side, and Russia and China on the other? Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of experts.

Available now

53 minutes

Last on

Sat 8 May 2021 03:06GMT

Contributors

Stefan Kornelius - Foreign Editor of the newspaper SΓΌddeutsche Zeitung; biographer of Angela Markel

Michaela Kuefner - Chief Political Editor with the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle; host of Merkel’s Last Dance podcast

Daniela Schwarzer - Executive Director of Europe & Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations

Also featuring ...

Elmar Peter Brok - Former member of European Parliament, CDU

Kai Whittaker - Member of the German parliament, CDU

Cem Γ–zdemir - Member of the German parliament, Alliance 90/The Greens

Picture

German Chancellor Angela MerkelΒ in Berlin, Germany. Credit: EPA/CLEMENS BILANΒ 

Broadcasts

  • Fri 7 May 2021 09:06GMT
  • Fri 7 May 2021 23:06GMT
  • Sat 8 May 2021 03:06GMT

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