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German Chancellor and head of the German Christian Democrats (CDU) Angela Merkel during statements following all-night preliminary coalition talks on January 12, 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
“I think no matter what the outcome of the coalition agreement is, or even if there is no coalition agreement and we are looking at a minority government or snap elections, Germany is heading in a certain direction,” Schick said, noting that not only will Merkel be in her fourth term, but also her 12th year in office.
“If you look at the precedents (of previous chancellors)…they often struggled in their fourth year,” she said. “So no matter what happens, Merkel is diminished.”
“How badly she is diminished really depends on the outcome of the coalition talks. So I foresee a situation, which is quite plausible, where she might actually have to step down before she served the full remainder of her term,” Schick said.
If Merkel, who is often seen as a main driving force in European politics, loses some of her authority, this could have repercussions at a continental level.
“Merkel’s diminished power means that any grand step forward towards euro zone integration is hampered,” Schick said.
