On February 10, Germany’s defense minister and head of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced her unexpected resignation as party chairwoman. As Angela Merkel’s heir apparent, Kramp-Karrenbauer was to set to become the CDU’s chancellor candidate in the next general election next year.

Why Did Kramp-Karrenbauer Quit?

Kramp-Karrenbauer’s resignation came after the reversal of her vow not to vote with the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in regional parliamentary elections to elect a new state president. The center-right CDU had lost considerable votes in Eastern German regions, resulting in no party majorities.

In Thuringia in particular, the political tension was amplified. The AfD’s strength in the region coupled with CDU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) losses destroyed any hope of a majority or coalition government. The three-party coalition under the Left Party, SPD and the Greens lost its majority, forcing the CDU to run under a coalition with the AfD and the FDP (the Free Democrats). The election of Thomas Kemmerich, the regional leader of the liberal FDP, in October last year was the first time a minister president of one of Germany’s states won regional elections in coalition with the AfD. Elsewhere in the state of Hamburg, regional elections left the CDU to slump to third place with just 11.2% of votes.

Germany’s Mainstream Parties are in Deep Trouble

Despite pledging to step down by 2021, Merkel has received calls from members of her own party — the Values Union — to step down immediately. Meanwhile, Karenbauer’s resignation has opened up the CDU leadership bid once more to party members. One such candidate is Friedrich Merz, a businessman hoping to reform the party by pushing it further to the right. Merz is supported by the Values Union, a key faction of the CDU, who describe themselves as a bulwark against “dominant left-wing ideology”.

Although Merkel’s CDU coalition with the SPD still receives a 61% favorable poll rating among voters, fractures among the CDU, and among Germany’s political elite in general, are identical to those suffered by Great Britain shortly before and during Brexit. In Germany, left-wing and right-wing populism is rising on both ends of the spectrum, opening up the Overton window to include reformist ideas such as reigning in capitalism, overturning climate change, rejecting immigration and free movement, and demolishing meritocracy in favor of ethno-nationalism.

The Growing Divide Between the People and the Political Elite

On both ends of the political spectrum is a dissatisfaction with the status quo. Voters demand to be heard on issues formerly not on their agenda, causing a growing divide between the people and the political elite. In the Eastern regions of Germany, voters feel left behind economically, as financial benefits of the EU flow everywhere else but in the formerly communist areas of the country. The AfD, like Europe’s other ultra right-wing parties, taps into this economic malaise, blaming multiculturalism and immigration for problems caused by a lack of fair governmental spending, and promising that German nativism will solve this malaise.

On the hand, Germany’s urban and cosmopolitan youth are fearful of climate change and other environmental issues. The CDU and SPD have engaged with this fear through extended, long-term policies, for example, Merkel vowed in 2011 to gradually phase out nuclear power. The urgency of today’s environmental issues, however, are not conducive to the economically liberal ethos of the CDU party, or of the European Union. Furthermore, high living costs for cosmopolitan youth pushes them away from center parties who favor a post-industrial capitalistic system that only benefits older generations.

The Worldwide Rejection of Globalization

This rejection of globalisation is mirrored in the rise of extreme-leaning politicians in the USA, such as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, both of whom are vocal against capitalism and immigration, respectively.

Like Britain, Germany reaps more political and economic benefits from the EU than it extends. The German majority, like the British majority, are desperate not just to open, but widen the Overton window. Journalists, researchers and academics alike have predicted that Germany would not – and cannot – leave the EU. As the EU’s most powerful nation and the EU’s biggest financial power, Germany’s exit would likely result in the dissolution of the EU.

Others are skeptical that the rise of populism could lead to a dissolution of mainstream politics in Germany, opening the door for the rise of populist right-wing governments, as in the United States. But the worldwide popularity of populist leaders who would have been laughed off the stage a decade ago remains a huge cause for concern in Germany.

L'articolo Will Germany’s Economic and Political Malaise Lead to an EU Exit? proviene da InsideOver.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plan to have a successor who would carry on with her legacy has been thrown into a spin following the resignation of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

Kramp-Karrenbauer was Supposed To Be Next Up As Germany’s Leader—Now What?

Kramp-Karrenbauer—also known as AKK—was being groomed by Merkel to take over as Chancellor in 2021. In December 2019 Karrenbauer was elected as the leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union CDU to replace Merkel at the party’s convention in Hamburg. It was an historic occasion in that it was the first time the CDU was holding an open leadership contest since 1971.

Although the 1,001 delegates knew that the aim was to elect a leader for Germany’s most successful political party to replace Merkel who had been at the helm for 18 years they were also aware that whoever they elected would be a successor to Merkel as Germany’s Chancellor.

Even though Merkel did not endorse Kramp-Karrenbauer openly, there was no doubt that Kramp-Karrenbauer was clearly her favorite, after all Merkel had propelled her to the position of the party’s secretary general in February of that year. According to CDU policy the Chancellor is also the party leader, but Merkel decided to step down early from party position in order to prepare her successor for the Chancellorship.

AKK’s Competition for the Leadership

Kramp-Karrenbauer’s main competitor for the party’s leadership was Friedrich Merz a 63-year-old millionaire corporate lawyer. After a hotly-contested election , Kramp-Karrenbauer emerged the winner with a slim margin over Merz. What was clear from the results was that the party delegates wanted a leader who could carry on with Merkel’s policies. Merz was essentially unelectable because of his stand against Merkel’s centrism and liberal policies.

On the other hand Kramp-Karrenbauer, was a Merkel loyalist to the extent of being called the “mini-Merkel” because she was expected to replicate much of the Chancellor’s style and policy. However in her speech after her elections, she chose to downplay this saying, she would move away from Merkel’s shadow and forge her own path.

“I have a read a lot about what I am and who I am: ‘mini,’ ‘a copy,’ ‘simply more of the same.’ Dear delegates, I stand before you as I am and as life made me and I am proud of that,” she said.

Report: Kramp-Karrenbauer Asked Merkel to Resign in 2019

In May 2019 Bloomberg alleged that Kramp-Karrenbauer was making an attempt to force Merkel to step down as Chancellor claiming that that splitting the party leadership from the Chancellorship was damaging the party. The agency went on to report that Kramp-Karrenbauer had even sent a message to Merkel urging her to resign.

Karrenbauer actions were prompted by the CDU performance in the European elections. Although The CDU and its sister party the Christian Social Union had finished on top their support had fallen to 28.9% compared to stronger results in previous elections.

However, Kramp-Karrenbauer was forced to stop her plan after she failed to gain enough support to force Merkel to resign. Among those who opposed the move—according to Bloomberg—was Wolfgang Schaeuble, the president of Germany’s parliament and a CDU grandee. Schaeube insisted Merkel should stay in office until her term expired in 2021.

The report by Bloomberg was dismissed by Chancellor Merkel as nonsense. She also denied the existence of a rift between her and Kramp-Karrenbauer. For her part, Kramp-Karrenbauer also stated her ongoing loyalty to Merkel, remarking that “Angela Merkel is the Chancellor until 2021. I have to do my work as party leader and that’s what I am concentrating on.”

Kramp-Karrenbauer’s Appointment as Minister of Defense

Whether the report was true or false, the fact is that it resulted in questions being raised about Merkel’s plan to hand over the leadership of CDU to someone who would preserve her legacy. Nevertheless the relation between the two remained steady as Merkel went on to appoint Kramp-Karrebauer as Minister for Defense

In July 2019, as eyes all over the world were fixed on Boris Johnson’s entrance to Downing Street, many European countries focused their attention on the swearing of Kramp-Karrenbauer as Minister of Defense Minister. The key appointment made her one of the most powerful women in Europe in addition to being seen as Merkel’s likely successor.

Kramp-Karrenbauer’s Fall from Grace

Shortly after being sworn in as defense head, however, Kramp-Karrenbauer committed a series of communication and political blunders that made people doubt her abilities as a successor. This all occurred at a time rating had also begun to drop and the Germany economy was struggling.

In October of 2019, Kramp-Karrenbauer made a controversial proposal for the establishment of an internationally-controlled security zone in Syria which was to involve German and European forces. The proposal was heavily criticized at home and abroad since it could easily lead German and European forces to being involved militarily in Syria and escalating the already unstable situation.

Politically as the leader of CDU Kramp-Karrenbauer failed to win back right-wing voters with the party emerging a distant third emerging third behind the AfD in Thuringia. Because of the poor election results and her dwindling popularity, the CDU youth wing called for a membership vote to determine who was to be the next Chancellor after Merkel since they felt Kramp-Karrenbauer was incompetent.

Nonetheless, Kramp-Karrenbauer remained defiant, stating that she would stand by the CDU’s historic principle that the chancellorship and CDU leadership go “hand in hand.” “If that weren’t the case, we would really be feeling the turmoil that we have in the party,” she said.

‘Let’s End it Here, Now and Today’

Because of the growing discontent towards her, Kramp-Karrenbauer threatened to resign in November, 2019 saying, “If you are of the opinion that the Germany I want is not the one you want .. then let’s end it here, now and today.” Nonetheless, Kramp-Karrenbauer ended on a note of hope: “But dear friends, if you want this Germany, if you want to take this path together, then let’s roll up our sleeves here and now and make a start.” Her speech was greatly applauded by party members including her rivals, and for a time it appeared as if she had managed to secure total loyalty.

The Final Straw: Trouble In Thuringia

The biggest blow to Kramp-Karrenbauer’s fortunes came in early February when politicians from the CDU defied their own party and ganged up with Free Democratic party (FDP)and AfD to vote for Thomas Kemmerrich of FDP as Prime Minister of the German province of Thuringia. It was the first time since World War II that a politician had been elected to a senior state position mainly on the support of a far right party.

Merkel called the results a “bad day for democracy” saying “the results must be reversed.” The results also directly prompted Kramp-Karrenbauer to step down. “Any form of rapprochement with AfD weakens the CDU,” she said while announcing her resignation.

As Time stated, “AKK was supposed to be Merkel’s successor who would bring her centrist legacy and vision into the next decade of German politics.” But now that seems not be the case. According to observers one of the favorites for taking over the leadership of CDU is Merkel’s rival, Friedrich Merz. He draws his support from party members who oppose Merkel’s centrism and were unhappy with her open door policy that allowed many immigrants to settle in Germany. Kramp-Karrenbauer’s time in the spotlight—and the chance of smoothly carrying forward Merkel’s legacy—appears to be over.

L'articolo Why Merkel’s Legacy is in Danger proviene da InsideOver.

Recent headlines: “German Conservatives’ Faustian pact with the far-right” (Spiegel International), “Germany shaken as far-right helps elect regional leader” (The Independent) and “Turmoil that Echoes Nazi Germany” (New York Times). This is how elements of the international press greeted the news that the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD), elected Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) as Prime Minister of the Free State of Thuringia on February 5.

Consternation Over Thuringia Election Result

In Germany the vote triggered apoplexy in many circles. Neues Deutschland attacked the “Pact with the Fascist AfD” as protestors took to the streets in Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt and many other German cities. The German weekly newspaper the Junge Freiheit reported that the FDP has submitted over 100 complaints to the police since the start of the political crisis and that Kemmerich and his family have been placed under police protection.

Well, the experiment was not to last. At the behest of Merkel, the Thuringian CDU dropped their support for Kemmerich who resigned a mere 25 hours later.

Who is Mephistopheles in Thuringia?

In the “Faustian Pact” the media describes, Mephistopheles is of course the national political pariah AfD, and its controversial local leader Björn Höcke in particular. In the Bundestag on February 11, Merkel accused the AfD of having a clear agenda: to undermine and destroy democracy. Merkel’s decision to torpedo the government in Erfurt appears to have been driven by pressure from her SPD Grand Coalition partners to quit the government but that is not a full explanation. The CDU has increasingly drifted leftwards under Merkel and in one particularly notorious and emblematic episode at a conference in 2015 the chancellor grabbed a German flag from a colleague and, disgusted, cast it away. It is not only the AfD that is in the firing line. In recent days CDU politicians have outrageously described a conservative group in the party called the Werte-Union (Values Union) as a “cancerous tumor”. It would seem to be CDU politicians rather than the AfD that is employing Nazi-style rhetoric. Such is the state of the CDU under Angela Merkel.

Echoes of the 1932 Coup in Prussia

The astonishing chain of events in Thuringia over the last few days was not a fascist coup attempt by the AfD. Rather, the defenestration of Kemmerich calls to mind the notorious Preußenschlag (Coup in Prussia) of July, 1932 when Chancellor Franz von Papen took over Germany’s largest state on the basis of an emergency decree issued by President Paul von Hindenburg. Von Papen’s move had been prompted by the fact that the center-left coalition that had ruled Prussia since 1918 had lost its majority in the state parliament in April, 1932. Under the Prussian constitution, a government could be removed from office only if there was a positive majority for a prospective successor. The Communists and National Socialists between them held over half the seats but would not cooperate with each other or with other parties. The coalition remained in office until the controversial step by the Reich government. It is to be noted, however, that in contrast to the Prussian Prime Minister Otto Braun in 1932, Kemmerich actually did have a majority behind him in the Erfurt state parliament.

Criminal complaints issued against Merkel

According to Junge Freiheit, the AfD has submitted a criminal complaint under section 106 of the German Criminal Code against one Merkel for coercion of a member of a constitutional organ. The chancellor had commented during a trip to South Africa that the election of Kemmerich had been “unforgivable” and “must be reversed”. Kemmerich announced his resignation the following day. The party has also decided to submit a legal warning with a cease and desist declaration to the chancellor in relation to abuse of office.

The newspaper further reports that Björn Höcke is also planning to submit a criminal complaint against the chancellor. Höcke made reference to a report in the Welt according to which Merkel threatened that unless Kemmerich resigned immediately the two coalition governments with the FDP in Schleswig-Holstein and North-Rhine Westphalia would be terminated. Höcke commented that Merkel is no longer Chair of the CDU and had made the comments in her capacity as chancellor. “That is nothing less than a Putsch against a constitutional organ of the state of Thuringia”, he added.

Merkel has Undermined German Democracy

Former SPD leader Gabriel has commented that Merkel has “saved Germany’s honour”. In fact, Merkel has undermined the independence of a Federal State, weakened Parliamentary government and violated the right to freedom of conscience of Thuringia’s Parliamentarians. Germany is now—in effect—dominated by a cartel of far-left and center-left parties. The unquestioning pro-Merkel line taken by vast swathes of the media is particularly unsettling; a phenomenon also observed during the migrant crisis of 2015 and 2016. As Roger Köppel of Weltwoche has noted, Germany has become a “gelenkte Demokratie” (a guided or managed democracy).

L'articolo Merkel’s Coup in Thuringia proviene da InsideOver.