The longstanding political rivalry between Germany’s former Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and her one-time deputy, Friedrich Merz, has finally been put to rest. After 22 years of a colourful political tug-of-war, the two political titans publicly mended their fences during an event hosted by the Christian Democratic Union to belatedly celebrate Merkel’s 70th birthday last July.
Addressing the gathering held in central Berlin, the birthday honouree admitted to the highs and lows she and Merz had experienced over the years, eliciting knowing nods from the attendees. Their relationship peaked in 2000 after Merkel assumed the helm of the scandal-plagued CDU, appointing Merz as her second-in-command.
A major fissure emerged two years later when Merkel, feeling threatened by her ambitious second-in-command, took over his position as head of the parliamentary party. Following this, Merz retreated from public life to venture into investment banking, amassing a fortune in the process.
However, the relationship hit rock-bottom in 2018. Merkel revealed her plans to bow out of politics, but she put a damper on Merz’s hopes to succeed her. It wasn’t until 2022, after the CDU had cycled through two ineffective leaders and suffered a bruising loss in the federal elections, that Merz finally clinched the party leadership, with Merkel busying herself penning her memoirs.
Merz’s final words during the Wednesday night event acknowledged Merkel as a “personality that shaped this country”. He reiterated that the full impact of their legacies was a matter best left to historians or biographers, such as Eckhart Lohse, a political correspondent for the conservative daily, Frankfurter Allgemeine.
In his latest work, Deceit: Merkel and her Germans, Lohse contends that Merkel’s four terms as chancellor rode on a tacit agreement with the public. In return for the lure of peace in an era of complexity, the German populace lent her their support. According to Lohse, she departed office leaving a nation grappling with a severe need for reforms and struggling to wean itself off Russian energy amidst a weakening economy. This book also carries insightful comments from her other political adversaries.
The departed Wolfgang Schäuble, who was outranked by Angela Merkel for party leadership and later held positions in three of her cabinets, mentioned to Lohse that he supported Merkel’s controversial decision in 2015 to maintain open borders in Germany. However, he disagreed with the subsequent events. He felt that Merkel failed to confront the perception it created among many that everyone was welcome, with Germany declaring themselves ‘open’.
Another political adversary of Merkel, Roland Koch, who previously held the role as premier of the Hesse state, implied that her strategy was to put her principles on the back burner, favouring a pragmatic approach to politics instead. He added that despite being made up of lacklustre elements, Merkel managed to cultivate a charismatic persona.