Strong Women in the News: Focus on Angela Merkel of Germany

Women have come a long way in politics in recent years. Look at Hillary Clinton--a former First Lady and currently a dynamic senator from New York who almost secured the Democratic Party's nomination for President. And who knew about Sarah Palin, besides Alaskans, before the recent Republican convention? Another prominent female politician on the world stage is Germany's Angela Merkel, a physicist raised in East Germany and who is now Chancellor and head of the powerful Christian Democratic Union.

Merkel is no mere figurehead but resourceful, cultured, and opinionated. Her disagreements with fellow European leader, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, are approaching legendary status. Her statesmanlike handling of a recent precedent-setting visit to Israel, including an address to the Knesset, has been widely reported. Tactful dealings with fellow grand-coalition member, the Social Democratic Party, usually a rival in national elections but currently a convenient government partner, indicate truly formidable political skills. In the upcoming campaign for the next federal election in Germany, set for September 2009, Merkel, whose popularity has been growing steadily, will be tested. For one thing, her chief rival is likely to be her present Foreign Minister, Frank -Walter Steinmeier, who also happens to belong to a different party, the Social Democrats.

Germany's coalition government is typical of parliamentary democracies where several parties jockey for votes from the public and bargain amongst themselves to form working governments. At the moment, five parties are vying for a spot in any future coalition. The leading contenders include the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which also associates with the Bavarian version of this party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). Next, there is the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), a current coalition partner but hopeful of leading the next government with alliances formed with one of the smaller parties. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) is also a center-right party that usually allies with the CDU and may do so again in 2009. The Green Party, with an environmentalist agenda, is often an associate of the SPD but has recently allied itself with the CDU in Hamburg following a close local election. Lastly, there the Left Party, which may be welcomed into a government headed by the SPD.

While the politics of the country are complex, the issues important to the electorate resemble those of interest to voters in most Western countries. Current hot topics include the minimum wage, tax cuts, pension reform, inflation, and energy costs. National security, immigration, supplying more troops for the conflict in Afghanistan, and dealing with Russia are also key problems much debated in the press. Confidence in a great leader for an economically and politically powerful nation in the center of Europe is high now and growing, both within Germany and abroad. That this leader should be a woman is no longer as remarkable as once would have been thought.

Nicholas Kulish, "Without Primaries or Caucuses, Campaign for German Chancellor Begins", New York Times
Stefan Theil, "The Odd Couple", Newsweek International
Judy Dempsey, "German foreign minister picked to challenge MerkelMerkel", International Herald TriMerkel
"Merkelhame' ", BBC News Online