Merkel’s popularity endures more than four years after leaving office

More than four years have passed since Angela Merkel said goodbye to politics in December 2021 after 16 years leading Germany. A period in which, as she promised, she has stayed out of politics except for the book tour for her memoirs and a few public appearances. She vanished so completely from the political scene that her presence last February at the federal congress of her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) — the first time she had attended since leaving office — eclipsed the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, with whom she also does not have a good relationship.

Three months after that appearance — in which she did not even speak — she has resurfaced again, just as the conservative–social democratic coalition government is grappling with a deep internal crisis over its reform package and facing intense tensions with the United States over the war with Iran. First, last week, in an interview with the magazine Focus in which she called for calm. Then, this Monday, as part of the re:publica conferences on society and technology, held in Berlin. Coincidence or not, her return comes at a moment many in the German capital see as highly critical.

“Nothing is coincidental with Merkel,” says Hajo Funke, a political scientist and professor at the Free University of Berlin. “She worries about the state of the party and the republic, so she expresses that concern, and it carries weight,” he explains by phone. “She has no operational power; that is, she can’t impose change. But she is still a strong voice.” In his view, the former chancellor has been present “the whole time” and is simply now speaking “more forcefully.”

Merkel, who this Tuesday was awarded the European Order of Merit of the European Parliament for her “steady and fundamental leadership in advancing the European Union as chancellor of Germany,” as praised by former European Commission president José Manuel Durão Barroso, continues to enjoy high approval ratings. Especially among young people.

“Good reputation,” Merkel joked on Monday about it at the event organized by public broadcaster WDR as part of re:publica. Her visit had generated huge interest: the former conservative leader still fills enormous halls years after leaving politics. Everyone wants to hear her speak. People were crowding at the doors of the hall two hours before the event began. And many were left outside.

Applause erupted when Merkel took the stage. The audience — packed with young people — raised their phones to take photos and videos. Some even managed a selfie with her in the background. She looked relaxed, and she still knows how to connect with a crowd. First in a more formal setting, and later seated at a wooden table, with an image behind her evoking the kitchen of a shared flat and two young podcasters at her side.

In that atmosphere, there was a palpable sense of nostalgia— for Merkel herself, or perhaps for an earlier political era. Above all, the contrast with Friedrich Merz was striking: a chancellor whose poll numbers have sunk and who now faces a surging far right in the form of Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has led voting‑intention surveys for weeks. The latest INSA poll puts the party at 29%.

Merkel and Merz are two very different politicians. “Merz wants to change the status quo, to implement reforms. And Merkel did the exact opposite: she preserved it,” explains Thomas König, a professor at the University of Mannheim. “Merkel always played a mediating role. She was very reserved; she never stepped outside the script. She was always very hesitant, waiting for the polls to show what was popular and only then reacting, even during the refugee crisis. That is, a different style from Merz’s.”

On top of that, König adds, Merz “is not viewed positively by the media, which sees him as a figure from another era.” Still, he argues, Merz is now pushing reforms that Merkel should have enacted during her time in office. “And reforms always initially cause popularity to fall.”

Merkel, says political scientist Hajo Funke, was defined by a “pragmatic style that was and is calm, that took the mindsets of East Germans very seriously, and that gave the impression of being resilient in crises.” The political scientist believes she is regarded, “in general,” as a “successful chancellor.” “And by comparison, Merz is seen as a grump who does not control himself enough. That’s why he offends everyone, does not unite people, and does not lead in that sense,” he explains.

Has Merkel returned to the political debate, as some voices suggest? “Well, I try to find an appropriate rhythm. I remain a citizen engaged with politics and, of course, I care about these things,” the former chancellor said on Monday. She enjoys spending time at her home in Uckermark, the region north of Berlin near the Polish border, where she grew up. “I go to Uckermark more than before, and it makes me happy, but without withdrawing from public life.”

According to König, it is “normal to step back at first, and perhaps enjoy having time for other things,” but eventually former leaders miss appearing in public. The CDU’s more conservative direction, the expert notes, has meant Merkel has “less influence than expected,” since she symbolizes the political center. “In reality, she has somewhat moved into the background and her achievements are now evaluated with a little more scepticism than they were at the time,” he explains.

Her popularity among young people is due largely to the fact that many fear the future: “What Merkel symbolizes, by preserving the status quo, is security,” says König. But he points out there are also regional differences: “I can’t imagine she is popular in the east of the country, where AfD is very strong and is, in essence, an anti‑Merkel club.”

Merkel admits she is happy knowing people still come to hear her speak, but that does not mean she is considering a return to public office — including the idea, floated recently, that she might run for Germany’s presidency. “That is the highest office in our country. I was chancellor for 16 years. Before that, I spent many years in politics. And this role really requires someone with more energy… I can’t do that anymore,” said Merkel.

She also does not understand why her name was mentioned as a possible mediator at the negotiating table with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after he proposed former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, with whom the Kremlin has always had a good relationship. According to Merkel, that role should fall to “those who hold office and have responsibilities.” “To negotiate with Putin and be taken seriously, you need to have your own power,” she concluded.

Although Merkel does not want to return to an active political role, she knows her words resonate. Conscious of that, she urged people not to “underestimate Putin.” During her 16 years as chancellor, she not only had to deal with the Russian leader and with Donald Trump, in his first term, but also with the emergence of AfD, which emerged during the euro crisis and surged again during the refugee crisis, eventually becoming the second‑largest party in the last federal election, ahead of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Merkel still has an answer for almost everything — whether it’s a serious question about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or a lighter one about how much a kebab will cost in 10 years. “When I started eating kebabs, in the early 1990s, they cost €3.50 [$4],” she recalled. “Now we are at €7.50 [$8.70], at least where I go. And in 10 years? We will be above €10 [$11.60]. At least,” the politician says.

She also reminisced about her years in the former East Germany, when she used to pick up discarded furniture from the street, and she laughed when asked about hypothetical jobs she might like to do — such as coaching the German national football team, given her passion for the sport. “So that tomorrow the headlines say: Merkel dares to become national coach? No,” she laughed. “Put that at the end of the list.”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition