Angela Merkel draws breath

Angela Merkel has strengthened her leadership of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with a solid reelection as the head of the governing German party. The federal Christian Democrat convention was a significant internal thermometer to gauge the party's continued confidence in the chancellor, whose ratings in the opinion polls have slumped after more than a year of snag-ridden government with the liberals (the Free Democrats). A majority of German voters has shown their dissatisfaction with this coalition government, in which bickering is more frequent than understanding.

Merkel's arguments - delivered in a long speech, and at times a vibrant one by the German leader's usual standards - turned out to be convincing enough for her party. They were focused on the fact that unemployment figures have fallen to three million, from five at the beginning of her first mandate; and on her government's handling of the critical and prolonged financial crisis that began in Greece, and is still going on. During the crisis, Berlin has sometimes shown an inflexible attitude, but is nevertheless highly regarded for its firmness by other EU countries.

In her address to the CDU, Merkel has correctly gauged the magnitude of what is at stake. The European Union, looking beyond its imbalances and discrepancies, is above all else a project built on values and unity; and within the framework of this project, the stability and maintenance of the beleaguered euro is an indispensable and undeniable priority. The German chancellor made two important tactical moves in the party convention at Karlsruhe.

The first was to carry out a thorough, almost entire reshuffle of the top-echelon party leadership, unloading some potential regional rivals, and beginning the changeover to a younger generation. The second was to rule out a renewed alliance with the Social Democrats, who were her partners in government during her first mandate, or with the Greens - both of whom have been on the rise in the polls.

The debate on the essentially conservative identity of CDU, which has been forced to shift to the left during the great coalition, has apparently been resolved by Merkel with a firm endorsement of the party's rightist values, and a paean to its Christian roots.

Now that she has retaken the initiative, removed the party's old guard from the chessboard and consolidated her leadership, the cycle of regional parliamentary elections that begins in March will put the real popularity of Merkel to the test, and the solidity of her government. The keystone factor in this series of elections is the prosperous region of Baden-Württemberg, where CDU has been in the saddle for no less than 60 years.