German Elections: The End of the Merkel Era

Angela Merkel’s reign as Germany’s Chancellor is coming to an end. After being elected in 2005, the Germans chose to keep her as their leader for 16 years. Some would say that throughout her mandates, Merkel proved how valuable her ideas and leadership skills were to the country.

A new era is about to begin: new members of Parliament, new parties, more eco-friendly objectives, and last but not least, a new Chancellor. The 2021 German elections were focused not only on the eco-responsible turnout of the country, but they also took into consideration the Sustainable Development Goals set up by the United Nations. The two leading parties, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), spent months trying to convince the German electorate.

The September Elections

Olaf Scholz, the SPD’s representative, was previously Merkel’s Vice-Chancellor and has served as Minister of Finance since 2018. Grateful for Merkel’s impact on the country, Scholz plans to follow in her footsteps while working towards a modern Germany. It is common speech for elected officials in the middle of elections to not address themselves to media. A practice uncommon in other countries where the media forms a predominant part of their mandate. 

On the other side is Armin Laschet, head of the CDU. Being favored by Merkel herself, they appeared several times together during political rallies making it clear who the Chancellor was supporting. The General Elections of September 2021 had a tight ending, with the SPD winning with 25.7% over the CDU with 24.1%. The majority of Germans were satisfied with the rendering as their priority was to get a large number of the Greens into the German Parliament. A tough win for Scholz’s SPD over his rival as the country is preparing for a new post-Merkel. 

What’s next?

Further to the elections, the SPD won 206 seats in the Parliament compared to 196 for the CDU. The winning party will depend on who they will be choosing for their coalition. This decision could take several months as experts think that Merkel will be keeping her Chancellor post until the end of 2021. The Liberals and the Greens will play a significant part in this coalition. Rumor has it that Armin Laschet is already thinking of resigning further to Scholz’s popularity amongst the parliament members.