German General Election D-1, Merkel Preparing for Retirement Also Joins Campaign Trail

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor who is retiring from politics after 16 years in power, personally participated in her final election campaign before the general election. As the centrist-right camp she belongs to continued to lag behind their rival, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Merkel is interpreted to have taken an offensive approach to win over conservative voters.

According to foreign media including AFP on the 25th (local time), Chancellor Merkel campaigned in Aachen, the constituency of Armin Laschet, the joint chancellor candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), on the last day of the election campaign. Merkel appealed, "This general election is about your future, the future of your children and parents," and urged, "Please cast your vote for the conservative alliance for Germany's future."

She especially emphasized that her successor, candidate Laschet, is the right person to tackle climate change, which will be a key issue for the next government. Merkel said, "Addressing climate change requires the development of new technologies, the establishment of new procedures, and active participation from civil society," and praised, "Laschet is the candidate who will build bridges in facing these challenges."

The day before, she visited Munich, the stronghold of the German right-wing camp, to focus on winning over conservative voters. Ahead of this general election, which will decide the so-called 'post-Merkel' era, Chancellor Merkel had been quietly preparing for retirement without taking the forefront, but she stepped in directly as the conservative alliance's support failed to catch up with the SPD.

Earlier this year, the CDU/CSU alliance's approval rating was as high as 37%, but after Laschet, the CDU leader, was chosen as Merkel's successor and chancellor candidate, it plummeted to 20%. In the final pre-election polls, the SPD was shown to be ahead of the CDU/CSU alliance by 2 to 3 percentage points.

Laschet was considered a weak candidate from the time he was nominated as the chancellor candidate, trailing far behind Markus S?der, the CSU leader, in popularity. In July, when Laschet visited the flood damage site in western Germany, a photo of him smiling was captured on camera, causing the CDU/CSU alliance's support to drop further.

On the other hand, the SPD's chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, who served as finance minister, has built a stable image amid evaluations that he handled the COVID-19 pandemic relatively well.

Some analysts suggest that Merkel's rescue appearance could have an adverse effect on the CDU/CSU alliance. Professor Oskar Niedermayer of the Free University of Berlin told AFP, "Merkel is still the most beloved politician, but if she appears in joint rallies, it could backfire by making voters think Merkel is more suitable than Laschet."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.