Germany's Merkel Prepares to Step Down with Record of Dealing with Crises
2021-09-07
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1German Chancellor Angela Merkel is preparing to step down after leading the country for 16 years.
2As she leaves office, she is seen as a leader with strong diplomatic skills who had to deal with a series of major crises in Europe.
3In Germany, Merkel did carry out some major government programs.
4These included ending the country's requirement of national military service and setting Germany on a path away from nuclear and coal power production.
5She also enabled the legalization of same-sex marriage and took the lead on setting a national minimum wage and a program to provide assistance to fathers to take care of young children.
6But one of her senior allies recently described what many see as her main service: an anchor of stability in stormy times.
7The ally told Merkel: "You protected our country well."
8Bavarian governor Markus Soeder similarly explained Merkel's leadership.
9He said of the crises facing Germany, "they came overnight and you had to govern well."
10Merkel passed her first test in 2008, promising at the height of the world financial crisis that Germans' savings were safe.
11Over the following years, she helped lead efforts to save the euro from the debt crisis that hurt several European Union members.
12She agreed to government assistance plans, but also said painful spending cuts were needed.
13In 2015, Merkel welcomed migrants as masses of people fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere traveled across the Balkans.
14She permitted in hundreds of thousands and promised that "we will manage" the flow.
15The program later faced resistance both at home and among European partners.
16Working with other international leaders, Merkel sought to seek compromises and explore a multilateral path to the world's problems.
17This continued through years of political developments.
18These included changes in the relationship between the U.S. and its European allies under President Donald Trump and Britain's decision to leave the European Union.
19Merkel led Germany's COVID-19 response that saw the country do better than some of its neighbors.
20The health emergency was just one example of a crisis Merkel had to manage.
21Ralph Bollmann is a reporter who also wrote a book about Merkel's life and time.
22"I think Ms. Merkel's most important legacy is simply that, in such a time of worldwide crises, she provided for stability," he told The Associated Press.
23Merkel's achievement, Bollmann said, "is that she led Germany, Europe and perhaps to some extent the world fairly safely through that..."
24Crises took up so much energy that "not much time was left to deal with other issues," he added.
25In 2018, Merkel announced she would not seek a fifth term as chancellor.
26Her political longevity is already historic.
27Among democratic Germany's post-World War II leaders, she is only behind Helmut Kohl.
28Kohl served from 1982 to 1998 and led the country through reunification.
29Merkel could beat his record if she is still in office on December 17.
30That is possible if parties are slow to form a new government after the September 26 election.
31Whether she gets there or not, Merkel can celebrate an unusual end to her political career:
32she is set to become the first German chancellor to leave power when she chooses.
33I'm Bryan Lynn.
1German Chancellor Angela Merkel is preparing to step down after leading the country for 16 years. 2As she leaves office, she is seen as a leader with strong diplomatic skills who had to deal with a series of major crises in Europe. 3In Germany, Merkel did carry out some major government programs. These included ending the country's requirement of national military service and setting Germany on a path away from nuclear and coal power production. 4She also enabled the legalization of same-sex marriage and took the lead on setting a national minimum wage and a program to provide assistance to fathers to take care of young children. 5But one of her senior allies recently described what many see as her main service: an anchor of stability in stormy times. The ally told Merkel: "You protected our country well." 6Bavarian governor Markus Soeder similarly explained Merkel's leadership. He said of the crises facing Germany, "they came overnight and you had to govern well." 7Merkel passed her first test in 2008, promising at the height of the world financial crisis that Germans' savings were safe. Over the following years, she helped lead efforts to save the euro from the debt crisis that hurt several European Union members. She agreed to government assistance plans, but also said painful spending cuts were needed. 8In 2015, Merkel welcomed migrants as masses of people fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere traveled across the Balkans. She permitted in hundreds of thousands and promised that "we will manage" the flow. The program later faced resistance both at home and among European partners. 9Working with other international leaders, Merkel sought to seek compromises and explore a multilateral path to the world's problems. This continued through years of political developments. These included changes in the relationship between the U.S. and its European allies under President Donald Trump and Britain's decision to leave the European Union. 10Merkel led Germany's COVID-19 response that saw the country do better than some of its neighbors. 11The health emergency was just one example of a crisis Merkel had to manage. Ralph Bollmann is a reporter who also wrote a book about Merkel's life and time. 12"I think Ms. Merkel's most important legacy is simply that, in such a time of worldwide crises, she provided for stability," he told The Associated Press. Merkel's achievement, Bollmann said, "is that she led Germany, Europe and perhaps to some extent the world fairly safely through that..." 13Crises took up so much energy that "not much time was left to deal with other issues," he added. 14In 2018, Merkel announced she would not seek a fifth term as chancellor. Her political longevity is already historic. Among democratic Germany's post-World War II leaders, she is only behind Helmut Kohl. Kohl served from 1982 to 1998 and led the country through reunification. Merkel could beat his record if she is still in office on December 17. That is possible if parties are slow to form a new government after the September 26 election. 15Whether she gets there or not, Merkel can celebrate an unusual end to her political career: she is set to become the first German chancellor to leave power when she chooses. 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 18We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 19_________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21anchor - n. a person who provides strength and support 22stability - n. the quality of not being likely to change or move 23manage - v. to have control of something, such as a business, department, organization, etc. 24compromise - n. an agreement that is reached to end an argument or dispute 25legacy - n. a situation that was caused by something from an earlier time 26achievement - n. something that is completed successfully 27longevity - n. remaining popular or useful for a long time