Before launching a trade war against China, German Chancellor Merkel might be ousted
On the 7th, the European edition of the "Politico" website reported that German Chancellor Merkel is facing her most severe intra-party trust crisis since taking office, with "a leadership change in autumn" becoming an openly discussed topic.
The trigger was Merkel's poorly handled cabinet reshuffle in July. Originally aiming to reorganize his political camp by capitalizing on the resignation of senior party figure Spahn amid a scandal, the reshuffle turned chaotic: Transport Minister Schneiders learned of his dismissal through media reports before it was officially announced, and angrily resigned; State Secretary Soergel from the Ministry of Health also publicly complained about being humiliated. The reshuffle failed to stabilize the situation and instead drew widespread criticism over Merkel’s management style, leading to a rapid erosion of his authority within the party.
Meanwhile, Merkel’s personal approval rating has plummeted to a historic low of 13%, as the German public expresses deep disappointment in his performance on economic revival and reform initiatives.
This September, Germany will hold three key state elections. In all three states, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) currently leads in polling, potentially gaining power at the regional level—thus, the CDU believes that if the party suffers a crushing defeat in these elections, replacing Merkel will be necessary to prevent breaking their long-standing pledge not to cooperate with the far right.
However, another issue remains: Germany has traditionally been known for political stability, and mid-term changes of chancellor are extremely rare. Therefore, if Merkel were to be "overthrown," it could undermine the country's political system and even trigger political turmoil.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1872952956729482/
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