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Stiftung Ordnungspolitik

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Stiftung Ordnungspolitik ( German: [ˈʃtɪftʊŋ ˈʔɔʁdnʊŋspoliˌtiːk] ) is a nonprofit organization dealing with the ordoliberal tradition of the Freiburg school of economics . It strives to maintain and further develop ordo-economics based on the ideas of Walter Eucken and Friedrich August von Hayek .

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104-485: The foundation drafts practical policy options on the basis of the continued academic development of ordo-economics and promotes public awareness for the meaning of ordoliberal thinking. To this end, it regularly invites politicians, scientists and economists such as, for instance, Angela Merkel , Axel A. Weber , Kurt Beck , Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg or Cem Özdemir . The foundation was established in December 1998 on

208-842: A chancellor. This meant that Germany had a hung parliament as no coalition could hold an overall parliamentary majority. Exit polls for both the ARD and the ZDF television networks showed the CDU/CSU on 35%, the SPD on 34%, the FDP on 10%, the Left Party on 9% and the Greens on 8%; a Forsa poll differed slightly, predicting 36% for the CDU/CSU and 8% for the Left Party . Early seat projections suggested that

312-443: A combined total of only 46%. The leaders of the SPD and the Greens, Schröder and Fischer, as well as the Left Party's front-runner Gregor Gysi said they opposed the idea of a "red-red-green" coalition. With polls remaining so close, speculation increased that (as in the elections of 1994, 1998 and 2002) a small number of overhang seats might significantly impact the election results. On Sunday 4 September, Schröder and Merkel met in

416-447: A government. Merkel's personal popularity (consistently below that of her party) had climbed back up to 40%, from a low of 30% while Schröder's had reached a peak of 53% (consistently exceeding that of his party). However, polls also showed that even at this late stage, a quarter of German voters had not yet decided how to vote and that these undecided voters could decide the final result if they turned out to vote. With polls still so close,

520-444: A head-to-head debate which was broadcast by four of Germany's major private and public television networks. Although most commentators gave the initial edge to Merkel, polls soon showed that the general public disagreed and ranked Schröder the clear winner. Later analysis suggested that Merkel's support for a flat-tax proposal by Paul Kirchhof , the shadow Finance Minister, further undermined her credibility on economic affairs and gave

624-486: A job, and the new government intended to freeze pensions and to scrap subsidies for first-time home buyers. In the field of foreign policy, Germany would maintain its strong ties with France and with Poland , and will continue its support for Turkey as a future member of the European Union . Merkel has defined the main aim of her government as reducing unemployment, and expressed the hope that posterity will judge

728-420: A parliamentary majority was the new Left Party , led by Gregor Gysi and former SPD chairman Oskar Lafontaine , which won 8.7% of votes and 54 seats. The CDU/CSU and SPD both rejected cooperation with the Left Party. Both Schröder and Merkel claimed victory, but the formation of a new government required careful negotiations, as no conventional arrangement could achieve a majority. The CDU/CSU sought talks with

832-595: A priority, particularly with regards to eldercare . On 4 October 2008, following the Irish Government's decision to guarantee all deposits in private savings accounts, a move she had strongly criticised, Merkel said there were no plans for the German Government to do the same. The following day, Merkel stated that the government would guarantee private savings account deposits, after all. However, two days later, on 6 October 2008, it emerged that

936-581: A researcher and published several academic papers . In 1986, she was allowed to travel to West Germany to attend a congress. She also participated in a multi-week language course in Donetsk , in the then- Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic . The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 served as the catalyst for Merkel's political career. Although she did not participate in the crowd celebrations

1040-506: A result over 40%. The discrepancy between forecasts and the actual result led to criticism of the polling firms. The error was attributed to factors including the large number of undecided voters (up to 40% ahead of the election) and the increasing inaccuracy of traditional telephone-based survey methods. Germany went to the polls on 18 September 2005. Voters in one constituency in Dresden had to wait until 2 October to vote in order to allow

1144-508: A teacher of English and Latin . She has two younger siblings, Marcus Kasner , a physicist, and Irene Kasner, an occupational therapist. In her childhood and youth, Merkel was known among her peers by the nickname "Kasi", derived from her last name Kasner. Merkel is of German and Polish descent. Her paternal grandfather, Ludwik Kasner , was a German policeman of Polish ethnicity. After being captured in France during World War I , he joined

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1248-607: The Blue Army and likely fought against Germany. He married Merkel's grandmother Margarethe, a German from Berlin, and relocated to her hometown where he again worked in the police. In 1930, they Germanised the Polish name Kaźmierczak to Kasner. Merkel's maternal grandparents were the Danzig politician Willi Jentzsch and Gertrud Alma (née Drange), a daughter of the city clerk of Elbing (now Elbląg , Poland) Emil Drange. Since

1352-643: The FDP , a possible coalition partner for the conservatives, at between 6.5% and 8%, and the Greens , the current coalition partner for the SPD, between 6% and 8%. Most polls indicated a likely majority for a CDU/CSU-FDP coalition. As for other parties, those polls which explicitly included the PDS-WASG electoral alliance showed it above the 5% hurdle at between 7% and 8.5%. No poll showed any other parties, including far-right parties, near 5%, although far-right parties have in

1456-534: The Free German Youth (FDJ), the official communist youth movement sponsored by the ruling Marxist–Leninist Socialist Unity Party of Germany . Membership was nominally voluntary, but those who did not join found it difficult to gain admission to higher education. She did not participate in the secular coming-of-age ceremony Jugendweihe , however, which was common in East Germany. Instead, she

1560-509: The German economy 's dependence on Russia, as well as the downsizing of the military that occurred during her tenure. Merkel was born Angela Dorothea Kasner in 1954, in Hamburg , West Germany , the daughter of Horst Kasner (1926–2011; né Kaźmierczak ), a Lutheran pastor and a native of Berlin, and his wife Herlind (1928–2019; née Jentzsch), born in Danzig (now Gdańsk , Poland ),

1664-728: The Kohl Government was defeated at the 1998 election , Merkel was appointed Secretary-General of the CDU . The 1998 election had widespread impacts; it was the CDU's worst performance in a federal election since 1949, and it resulted in Germany's first post-war left-wing government, led by the SPD . In the wake of this defeat on the federal level, Merkel oversaw a string of CDU election victories in six out of seven state elections in 1999, breaking

1768-580: The SPD in national opinion polls, although her personal popularity lagged behind that of the incumbent. However, the CDU/CSU campaign suffered when Merkel, having made economic competence central to the CDU's platform, confused gross and net income twice during a televised debate. She regained some momentum after she announced that she would appoint Paul Kirchhof , a former judge at the German Constitutional Court and leading fiscal policy expert, as Minister of Finance. Merkel and

1872-546: The StGB , which governed abortion rights, was rewritten to allow abortions until the 12th week of pregnancy. Though she was personally opposed to abortion at the time, Merkel abstained during the vote on the bill. The law was later overturned by the Federal Constitutional Court on the basis that there must be a general prohibition of abortion. In 1994, she was promoted to the position of Minister for

1976-805: The Stasi . Merkel declined, using the excuse that she could not keep secrets well enough to be an effective spy. Merkel worked and studied at the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin-Adlershof from 1978 to 1990. At first, she and her husband squatted in Mitte . At the Academy of Sciences, she became a member of its FDJ secretariat. According to her former colleagues, she openly propagated Marxism as

2080-466: The chancellorship as the exit polls came in. It soon became clear that neither could form a majority government within the existing coalitions. Largely because of strong hostility between Schröder and Oskar Lafontaine , a former SPD chairman turned leader of the Left Party, the obvious left-wing coalition of the SPD, Greens and Left Party was not possible. However, both the CDU and SPD said that they would negotiate with all parties that had won seats except

2184-573: The election of September 2013 , Merkel won one of the most decisive victories in German history, achieving the best result for the CDU/CSU since reunification and coming within five seats of the first absolute majority in the Bundestag since 1957. However, their preferred coalition partner, the FDP, failed to enter parliament for the first time since 1949, being below the minimum of 5% of second votes required to enter parliament. The CDU/CSU turned to

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2288-653: The first (and only) multi-party election in 1990 and was later expelled from the party. As a result, the DA lost most of its electoral support, only managing to obtain four seats in the Volkskammer . However, because the DA was a member party of the Alliance for Germany , which won the election in a landslide, the DA was included in the government coalition. Merkel was appointed deputy spokesperson of this last pre- unification government under Lothar de Maizière . De Maizière

2392-502: The 16th Bundestag . The snap election was called after the government's defeat in the North Rhine-Westphalia state election , which caused them to intentionally lose a motion of confidence to trigger an early federal election. The outgoing government was a coalition of the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and Alliance 90/The Greens , led by federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder . The election

2496-477: The 2003 invasion of Iraq, describing it as "unavoidable". She also criticised the government's support for the accession of Turkey to the European Union , instead arguing in favour of a " privileged partnership ". On 30 May 2005, Merkel won the CDU/CSU nomination to challenge Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of the SPD in the 2005 federal elections . Her party began the campaign with a 21–point lead over

2600-471: The 2010s European migrant crisis , and the COVID-19 pandemic were major issues during her chancellorship. Merkel stepped down as leader of the CDU in 2018 and did not seek a fifth term as chancellor in the 2021 federal election . Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , her legacy came under increased scrutiny both in Germany and abroad for her relatively good relations with Russia and increasing

2704-467: The 308 seats required for a majority in this Bundestag. The Left Party and the FDP overtook the Greens, previously Germany's third most-popular party since 1994 . The FDP, with almost 10% of the vote, scored its best result since the 1990 federal election , regaining its status as the Federal Republic's third party, which it had enjoyed throughout the history of West Germany and maintained in

2808-447: The Bundestag and order new elections. The latter method had been utilised on two occasions previously, in 1972 and 1983 , by incumbent governments intentionally failing motions of confidence. Schröder became the third chancellor to do this, with a motion of confidence on 1 July failing with 151 votes in favour, 296 against, and 148 abstentions. Schröder called on SPD members to abstain from the vote, which would allow him to fall short of

2912-567: The CDU lost ground after Kirchhof proposed the introduction of a flat tax in Germany, again undermining the party's broad appeal on economic affairs. This was compounded by Merkel's proposal to increase VAT to reduce Germany's deficit and fill the gap in revenue from a flat tax. The SPD were able to increase their support simply by pledging not to introduce flat taxes or increase VAT. Although Merkel's standing recovered after she distanced herself from Kirchhof's proposals, she remained considerably less popular than Schröder, who had been perceived as

3016-500: The CDU obtained the largest share of the vote, and Merkel subsequently formed a coalition government with the Free Democratic Party (FDP), an alliance more favourable to the CDU than the grand coalition. In the 2013 federal election , the CDU won a landslide victory and formed a second grand coalition with the SPD, after the FDP lost all of its representation in the Bundestag. In the 2017 federal election , Merkel led

3120-502: The CDU to become the largest party for the fourth time, resulting in the formation of a third grand coalition with the SPD. In foreign policy , Merkel emphasised international cooperation, both in the context of the EU and NATO , and initiating the Russian reset and strengthening of Eurasian and transatlantic economic relations . In the first half of 2007, Merkel served as president of

3224-423: The CDU, becoming the first female leader of a German party. Her election surprised many observers, as her personality offered a contrast to the party she had been elected to lead; Merkel is a centrist Protestant originating from predominantly Protestant northern Germany, while the CDU is a male-dominated, socially conservative party with strongholds in western and southern Germany, and its Bavarian sister party,

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3328-643: The CDU/CSU and the SPD each having eight posts. The SPD would control eight ministries including the important roles of finance and foreign affairs , while the CDU/CSU would control six ministries as well as providing the chancellor and the Director of the Federal Chancellery (the Chancellor's Chief of Staff), who would also hold the position of Minister for Special Affairs. Gerhard Schröder would retire from politics. Detailed negotiations on

3432-561: The CDU/CSU and the SPD had virtually tied in the count for seats in the Bundestag. The exit polls and projections proved broadly accurate in the preliminary results released on 19 September and in the final results published on 7 October. The SPD/Green coalition's number of seats fell from 306 seats (in a house of 603), to 273 seats (in a house of 614) while the opposition, the CDU/CSU-FDP coalition's number of seats fell from 295 seats to 286 seats. Both potential coalitions fell far short of

3536-414: The CDU/CSU to just one percent. Although the SPD still fell behind the CDU/CSU, he said "nobody but me is capable of building a stable coalition" and accused the moderators of having "an intellectual problem". The chancellor then declared to Merkel "Under her leadership she will never get a coalition with my party" and insisted that the CDU and CSU should be treated as separate parties. His performance during

3640-509: The CDU/CSU ultimately lost vote share compared to its 2002 result, falling to 35%. The SPD suffered losses but finished just one percentage point behind the CDU/CSU, winning 34%. Exit polls showed clearly that neither the SPD–Green nor CDU/CSU–FDP coalitions had won a majority of seats in the Bundestag. The FDP placed third on just under 10% of votes, its best result since 1990 , while the Greens suffered small losses. The major stumbling block to

3744-646: The CDU/CSU's confidence in Merkel, as she herself grew up in the East. However, polls carried out by the Süddeutsche Zeitung in late August showed the CDU/CSU/FDP bloc back up at 51% of the vote. Predictions suggested that the opposing bloc of incumbent Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's ruling Social Democrats, the Greens and the country's recently formed left-wing Left Party (PDS/ WASG alliance) would win

3848-583: The CSU Edmund Stoiber was much more popular within the party at the time. In a private negotiation that came to be known as the Wolfratshausen Breakfast, Merkel agreed to cede the opportunity to challenge Schröder to Stoiber; in exchange, she was to become leader of the CDU/CSU faction in the Bundestag following the election. Although pre-election polling had indicated that voters strongly favoured Stoiber, he went on to lose

3952-528: The CSU, has deep Catholic roots. Following Merkel's election as CDU Leader, the CDU did not obtain electoral victories in subsequent state elections. In February 2001, her rival Friedrich Merz voiced his intention to become Gerhard Schröder 's main challenger for Chancellorship in the 2002 election . Merkel's own ambition to become Chancellor was well-known, but she lacked the support of the most influential members within her own party. Rival candidate and leader of

4056-557: The Christian Democratic Union First ministry and term Second ministry and term Third ministry and term Fourth ministry and term [REDACTED] Angela Dorothea Merkel ( German: [aŋˈɡeːla doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛʁkl̩] ; née   Kasner ; born 17 July 1954) is a retired German politician who served as the chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021 and was the first woman to hold that office. She previously served as leader of

4160-522: The Environment and Nuclear Safety , which gave her greater political visibility and a platform on which to build her personal political career. As one of Kohl's protégées and his youngest Cabinet Minister, she was frequently referred to by Kohl as "my girl" ( mein Mädchen ). During this period, she was closely mentored by Kohl. As Minister of the Environment, Merkel was instrumental in setting up

4264-749: The European Council and played a central role in the negotiation of the Treaty of Lisbon and the Berlin Declaration . Merkel's governments managed the global 2007–2008 financial crisis and the European debt crisis . She negotiated the 2008 European Union stimulus plan , which focused on infrastructure spending and public investment to counteract the Great Recession . In domestic policy, Merkel's Energiewende program supported

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4368-483: The Greens, but were unable to find common ground. Discussions ultimately began for a grand coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD. On 10 October, officials from both parties indicated that negotiations had concluded successfully and that they would form a coalition government with Angela Merkel as chancellor. The Bundestag met on 22 November and Merkel was elected chancellor, with 397 votes in favour. On 22 May 2005, state elections were held in North Rhine-Westphalia ,

4472-466: The Left Party, while the leaders of the Left Party rejected any possibility of participating in a coalition with either of the two main parties. In the Elefantenrunde (elephant round) programme on election night featuring all party leaders, Schröder, in a memorable performance, insisted he had won on the basis of how far behind the SPD was in pre-election polls but managing to close the gap with

4576-494: The North Rhine-Westphalia result was indicative of a lack of public confidence in the federal government. Early federal elections may only be held under two circumstances: if the Bundestag rejects a candidate for chancellor three times, or if a motion of confidence in the government fails to achieve an absolute majority in the Bundestag. In either case, the president may, at request of the chancellor, dissolve

4680-692: The Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union from 2000 to 2018. During her chancellorship, Merkel was frequently referred to as the de facto leader of the European Union (EU) and the most powerful woman in the world. Beginning in 2016 , she was often described as the leader of the free world . Merkel was born in Hamburg in West Germany . Her family moved to East Germany when she

4784-569: The Opposition, two years later. Following the 2005 federal election , Merkel was elected chancellor, leading a grand coalition consisting of the CDU, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). She was the first woman to be elected chancellor, and the first chancellor of reunified Germany to have been raised in the former East Germany. In the 2009 federal election ,

4888-456: The SPD to form the third grand coalition in postwar German history and the second under Merkel's leadership. The third Cabinet of Angela Merkel was sworn in on 17 December 2013. 2005 German federal election Second Schröder cabinet SPD – Greens First Merkel cabinet CDU/CSU – SPD Federal elections were held in Germany on 18 September 2005 to elect the members of

4992-477: The SPD would be the largest party in the Bundestag and thus, they argued, an SPD member should become chancellor in any grand coalition. One SPD legislator indicated he planned to introduce a motion in the Bundestag explicitly defining the CDU and the CSU as separate parties. The Greens rejected coalition with the CDU/CSU after talks broke down. The CDU/CSU pressed their case for the Chancellery after victory in

5096-500: The SPD, CDU or CSU do not support the coalition deal. Reports have indicated that the grand coalition would pursue a mix of policies, some of which directly contradict aspects of Merkel's political platform as a former leader of the opposition and candidate for chancellor. The coalition intended to cut public spending while increasing VAT , social-insurance contributions and the top rate of income tax . Employment protection would no longer cover employees during their first two years in

5200-493: The SPD, angered at that party taking a "neoliberal" direction in economic reforms. The general membership has already approved this measure and awaits to hear from the PDS party convention to agree as well. If successful this could lead to a further erosion of the SPD's strength, as the PDS has never made inroads in the former West Germany (it lineally succeeded the former governing communist party ( Socialist Unity Party of Germany ) of

5304-570: The United Nation's 1995 Berlin Climate Change Conference . She is often credited as having brought about its most notable result, the first international commitment to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions . Around this time, she also first hired Beate Baumann , who would remain a close advisor to Merkel. Merkel's performance as Minister of the Environment was criticised as "pitiful" by Gerhard Schröder . After

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5408-596: The campaign with a 21% lead over the SPD and confidence in Merkel's victory led the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , Tony Blair , to meet with her ahead of Chancellor Schröder during a visit to Berlin in June. The SPD had the goal of maintaining the current deregulation agenda. They added to their election program some minor corrections such as broadening the financing base of the healthcare system and

5512-655: The childhood of her father, who later studied Lutheran theology in Heidelberg and Hamburg. In 1954, when Angela was just three months old, her father received a pastorate at the church in Quitzow (a district of Perleberg in Brandenburg), which was then in East Germany . The family moved to Templin and Merkel grew up in the countryside 90 km (56 mi) north of East Berlin . In 1968, Merkel joined

5616-509: The classical green topic of environmental politics in the program. In general, the program moved slightly to the left ; including stating the necessity for changes to some existing red-green governmental policies. The FDP announced its election program before any other party, publishing it on 24 July. It called for strong saving measures in public spending and more room for local negotiation between employees and employers, as opposed to central control by trade-union officials. The leaders of

5720-450: The coalition government", it was also widely criticised as ineffectual. The deal also increased the tax burden on employers and their publicly insured employees. The 2006 round of reforms introduced the "health insurance duty", which establishes that individuals must be insured either through the public insurance system or through private insurance firms and accordingly cannot be uninsured. The reforms also targeted preventive healthcare as

5824-430: The constituency in the 2021 federal election . Almost immediately following her entry into parliament, Merkel was appointed by Chancellor Helmut Kohl to serve as Minister for Women and Youth in the federal cabinet . In November 1991, Merkel, with the support of the federal CDU, ran for the state leadership of the CDU in the state of Brandenburg, which neighbours Berlin. She lost to Ulf Fink . In June 1993, Merkel

5928-750: The constituency vote. The 2005 election was the last one until 2021 where the SPD won all single-member constituency seats in Saxony-Anhalt , Saarland as well as Brandenburg and the last time where they won any single-member constituency seats in Saxony-Anhalt . Only in the 2021 election, at the end of the Merkel era, would the SPD sweep all constituencies in Saarland and Brandenburg again and gain seats in Saxony-Anhalt. Second vote ( Zweitstimme , or votes for party list) Both Angela Merkel (CDU) and Gerhard Schröder (SPD) claimed victory and

6032-470: The continuing effects of the 2008–2009 financial crisis, unemployment sank below the mark of 3 million unemployed people in 2011. Following increased debate on the subject in the summer of 2010, the German government announced plans to abolish conscription in Germany , making the Bundeswehr a volunteer military , in November 2010. The decision was finalised in December that year, and conscription

6136-461: The country less competitive, because companies could not easily control labour costs when business was slow. Merkel argued that Germany should phase out nuclear power less quickly than the Schröder administration had planned. Merkel advocated a strong transatlantic partnership and German-American friendship. In the spring of 2003, defying strong public opposition, Merkel came out in favour of

6240-469: The course of the financial crisis, the Merkel cabinet increased the budget of the Kurzarbeit program significantly and extended the permitted duration of such contracts from 6 months to 18 months. Although similar provisions had existed previously, the Merkel cabinet's expansion of the program was widely praised and is credited with having saved 500,000 jobs during the financial crisis. Merkel's CDU

6344-511: The delayed vote in Dresden , and ahead of talks with the SPD; the SPD maintained their own claim, but Schröder indicated that he would step aside if his party wished it. Finally, on 10 October, officials from the CDU/CSU and the SPD announced that negotiations to form a grand coalition had succeeded. Angela Merkel would become chancellor and the sixteen seats in the new cabinet (including the Chancellery) would go equally to each side, with

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6448-429: The development of renewable energy sources and eventually phased out the use of nuclear power in Germany . Despite the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea , which prompted sanctions around the world, she initiated the construction of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipelines to Russia and protected their construction from United States sanctions imposed in 2019. Reforms to the Bundeswehr , health care reform ,

6552-472: The election by a thin margin. The election campaign was dominated by the Iraq War . While Chancellor Schröder had made clear he would not join the war in Iraq, Merkel was in support of the war at the time, although she later claimed that she had opposed it. After Stoiber's defeat in 2002, in addition to her role as CDU Leader, Merkel became Leader of the Opposition in the Bundestag , as had been agreed upon between her and Stoiber. Friedrich Merz, who had held

6656-494: The executive boards of "Stiftung Ordnungspolitik" and "Centres for European Policy Network" ( Centre for European Policy ) is Prof. Dr. Henning Vöpel . Chairman of the board of trustees of "Stiftung Ordnungspolitik" is Dr. Habil. Lüder Gerken was the chairman of the board from 1999 to 2021. Members of the board of trustees are Roman Herzog , Hans Tietmeyer , Leszek Balcerowicz and Frits Bolkestein . Angela Merkel Revolution of 1989 Kohl government Leader of

6760-401: The first post- German reunification election. Some analysts believe that the rise in the FDP vote came as a result of tactical voting by CDU-CSU voters hoping to prevent a grand coalition by buttressing the Free Democrats. Of the parties that failed to secure the 5% needed to attain seats in the Bundestag, the National Democratic Party performed best, winning 1.6% of the list vote and 1.8% of

6864-404: The following three arrangements: Despite some prominent members publicly blaming Merkel for its poor showing, the CDU/CSU confirmed her as leader on 20 September. On 22 September, following Schröder's election night comments, SPD members began musing that the political system should consider the CDU and the CSU as separate entities rather than as a single parliamentary faction. In such a scenario,

6968-476: The formation of the new government continued into November, with Edmund Stoiber of the CSU withdrawing from the proposed cabinet to continue as Minister-president of Bavaria. All three parties held conferences on 14 November which voted to approve the deal. The majority of CDU/CSU and SPD delegates in the newly assembled Bundestag elected Merkel as chancellor on 22 November. 397 members of the Bundestag voted for Merkel, indicating that 51 members from one or more of

7072-445: The former German Democratic Republic ), while the WASG has its base in western Germany and could garner substantial votes there. Two of Germany's small far-right parties, the National Democratic Party (NPD) and the German People's Union (DVU), announced that they would run on a common platform in this election, raising fears in the mainstream German political establishment that together they might succeed in gaining more than 5% of

7176-505: The impression that the CDU's economic reforms would only benefit the very rich. Midweek polls showed the SPD clawing their way upwards by a few percentage points although the combined CDU/CSU and FDP votes tended to remain 1 to 2 percentage points ahead of those for the left-wing parties combined. On the eve of the election, the CDU enjoyed a 9% lead over the SPD (42% and 33% respectively), albeit with neither party likely to have enough seats (even with their preferred coalition partners) to form

7280-469: The left wing Party of Democratic Socialism (the "PDS") agreed to let candidates of the centre left Electoral Alternative for Labor and Social Justice (the "WASG") run on their party list, leaving open the possible future option of a merger between the two parties. In agreeing to this the WASG stipulated that the PDS rename itself as the Left Party . The WASG, with its front-runner Oskar Lafontaine (a former SPD leader), formed from breakaway elements within

7384-427: The long-standing SPD- Green hold on the Bundesrat . Following a party funding scandal that compromised many leading figures of the CDU – including Kohl himself and his successor as CDU Leader, Wolfgang Schäuble  – Merkel criticised her former mentor publicly and advocated a fresh start for the party without him. On 10 April 2000, Merkel was elected to replace Schäuble as Chairperson of

7488-425: The main aim of her government would be to reduce unemployment, and that it was this issue on which her government would be judged. Reform of the German healthcare system was a salient issue during the 2005 election; the previous system had been criticised as inefficient and overly bureaucratic. After a significant period of negotiations, a deal was passed in 2006. While this agreement was described as having "saved

7592-559: The media criticized Merkel for confusing net and gross income figures during a campaign speech. Following this, polls suggested that the CDU/CSU and FDP would only win 48% of votes between them, and thus would not be able to form a government. Further damage occurred when two prominent CDU/CSU candidates, Jörg Schönbohm and the CSU leader Edmund Stoiber, made insulting remarks about East Germans. These remarks not only alienated voters in Eastern Germany but also made some question

7696-462: The mid-1990s, Merkel has publicly mentioned her Polish heritage on several occasions and described herself as a quarter Polish, but her Polish roots became better known as a result of a 2013 biography. Religion played a key role in the Kasner family's migration from West Germany to East Germany. Merkel's paternal grandfather was originally Catholic but the entire family converted to Lutheranism during

7800-420: The more generally competent and trustworthy candidate. The CDU's lead was down to 9 percentage points on the eve of the election, with Merkel having a significant lead in popularity based on opinion polls. On 18 September 2005, Merkel's CDU/CSU and Schröder's SPD went head-to-head in the national elections, with the CDU/CSU winning 35.2% (CDU 27.8% / CSU 7.5%) of the second votes to the SPD's 34.2%. The result

7904-529: The most populous state of Germany, where the SPD had led the state government continuously since 1966. The election saw the government of Minister-President Peer Steinbrück defeated. It also resulted in the opposition CDU and FDP claiming a majority in the Bundesrat , the upper house of the federal legislature. The same day, federal Chancellor Schröder and SPD Bundestag group leader Franz Müntefering announced they would seek early federal elections. They claimed

8008-561: The national vote and thus in entering the Bundestag. Since German electoral law does not permit common lists of two or more parties, in practice the DVU did not enter the election, and members of that party appeared on the NPD list. Early election polls during summer 2005 from 6 organizations showed a solid lead for the CDU / CSU with a share of the vote ranging between 41% and 43%, and the SPD trailing at between 32% and 34%. The polls further showed

8112-468: The night the wall came down, one month later Merkel became involved in the growing democracy movement, joining the new party Democratic Beginning ( Demokratischer Aufbruch , abbreviated to DA). Party Leader Wolfgang Schnur appointed her as press spokeswoman of the party in February 1990. However, Schnur was revealed to have served as an " informal co-worker " for the Stasi just a few weeks ahead of

8216-415: The occasion of the 50th anniversary of Walter Eucken's death. The " Centres for European Policy Network " (cep) is the foundation's think tank on the policy of the European Union. The Centre fulfils the foundation's tasks for all issues of European decision-making: It analyses major EU policy projects in terms of ordoliberal criteria in order to inform and consult politics, media and the public. Chairman of

8320-516: The parliamentary constituency of Stralsund – Nordvorpommern – Rügen in North Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . She received the crucial backing of influential CDU minister and state party chairman Günther Krause . She was re-elected from this constituency (renamed, with slightly adjusted borders, Vorpommern-Rügen – Vorpommern-Greifswald I in 2003) in every election until the CDU lost its direct mandate  [ de ] from

8424-455: The parties broke with tradition and continued campaigning on the Saturday before the election and on election day itself. While pundits focused on the likelihood of a grand coalition , the CDU suggested that the SPD might consent to forming a coalition with the new Left Party. All major opinion polling published in the week prior to the election indicated a clear victory for the CDU/CSU, with

8528-457: The past sometimes polled below their actual support due to unwillingness by voters to admit their support. In early August support for Angela Merkel declined considerably. Reasons for this included conflicts about the election program in and between the conservative parties (the CDU and the CSU), and arguments with their preferred coalition partner, the FDP, as well as embarrassing gaffes. At one point

8632-502: The pledge was simply a political move that would not be backed by legislation. Most other European governments eventually either raised the limits or promised to guarantee savings in full. The German government stepped in to assist the mortgage company Hypo Real Estate with a bailout. The deal was agreed upon on 6 October, with German banks contributing €30 billion and the Bundesbank €20 billion to an emergency credit line. At

8736-471: The post prior to the 2002 election, was eased out to make way for Merkel. Merkel supported a substantial reform agenda for Germany's economic and social system and was considered more pro-market than her own party (the CDU). She advocated German labour law changes, specifically removing barriers to laying off employees and increasing the allowed number of work hours in a week. She argued that existing laws made

8840-405: The programme was criticized by the media, CDU/CSU and the FDP as "shocking", "egocentric", "arrogant" and "bizarre". The Berliner Kurier newspaper headline asked if Schröder was "intoxicated by his victory or did he have one glass of wine too many?". Schröder himself later called his behavior "suboptimal" but denied he was drunk. The exclusion of the Left Party reduced the possible coalitions to

8944-453: The proposal of a 3% additional tax for people with annual incomes above 250,000 euro (after the governing coalition earlier in 2005 cut the highest income tax rate from 48.5% to 42%). The Greens decided on their program in July 2005. Compared to their previous federal election program, they increased the emphasis on economics and labour-market politics. For the first time this topic came before

9048-429: The public healthcare system in 2009, the Merkel government passed widely unpopular healthcare reforms in 2010. The changes reduced healthcare spending in certain areas and increased employer and employee contributions to 15.5% of gross wages. The reforms also established that future contribution increases would only affect the contributions by employers, which was criticised by opposition parties and trade unions . In

9152-487: The reprinting of ballot-papers after the death of the National Democratic Party candidate on 8 September. Soon after voting ended, it became clear that the CDU/CSU (the "Union") had narrowly edged out the SPD . However, neither of the two likely coalitions (SPD- Greens and CDU / CSU - FDP ) could achieve a Kanzlermehrheit – the support of the majority of members of the Bundestag required to elect

9256-581: The required threshold. President Horst Köhler then dissolved the Bundestag and scheduled new elections. The table below lists parties represented in the 15th Bundestag: The CDU / CSU nominated Angela Merkel for chancellor, the first time in German history that one of the two larger parties had nominated a woman for this position. The CDU presented a platform involving increasing the pace and scope of economic deregulation in Germany and pursuing cuts in income tax and public spending (many commentators have compared Merkel with Margaret Thatcher ). The CDU began

9360-461: The secretary for "Agitation and Propaganda". However, Merkel has denied this claim and stated that she was secretary for culture, which involved activities like obtaining theatre tickets and organising talks by visiting Soviet authors. She stated: "I can only rely on my memory, if something turns out to be different, I can live with that." After being awarded a doctorate ( Dr. rer. nat. ) for her thesis on quantum chemistry in 1986, she worked as

9464-421: The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . As the protégée of chancellor Helmut Kohl , Merkel was appointed as Minister for Women and Youth in 1991, later becoming Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in 1994. After the CDU lost the 1998 federal election , Merkel was elected general secretary of the party. She then became the party's first female leader, and the first female leader of

9568-411: The time indicated that the grand coalition would pursue a mix of policies, some of which differed from Merkel's political platform as leader of the opposition and candidate for Chancellor. The coalition's intent was to cut public spending whilst increasing VAT (from 16 to 19%), social insurance contributions and the top rate of income tax . When announcing the coalition agreement, Merkel stated that

9672-859: The time of the Greek government-debt crisis , Germany was the largest creditor of the Greek government, giving it significant negotiating power. Merkel is often credited as having "saved the Euro", primarily due to her coordinating role in the development of debt relief policy. The austerity measures imposed on debtors such as Greece, which were a significant part of Merkel's position in the negotiations, have been criticised as overly harsh by some observers. Critics also highlighted Germany's own debt management issues. A Bloomberg opinion piece noted that "irresponsible borrowers can't exist without irresponsible lenders"; accordingly, "Germany's banks were Greece's enablers." In

9776-505: The top of her class in these subjects. She completed her school education with the best possible average Abitur grade of 1.0. Merkel continued her education at Karl Marx University, Leipzig , where she studied physics from 1973 to 1978. While a student, she participated in the reconstruction of the ruin of the Moritzbastei , a project students initiated to create their own club and recreation facility on campus. Such an initiative

9880-431: The two parties reached a deal for a grand coalition whereby Merkel would become Chancellor and the SPD would hold 8 of the 16 seats in the cabinet. The deal was approved by both parties at party conferences on 14 November 2005. Merkel was elected Chancellor by the majority of delegates (397 to 217) in the newly assembled Bundestag on 22 November 2005, but 51 members of the governing coalition voted against her. Reports at

9984-554: Was confirmed . During this time, she participated in several compulsory courses on Marxism–Leninism , with her grades only being regarded as "sufficient". Merkel later said that "Life in the GDR was sometimes almost comfortable in a certain way, because there were some things one simply couldn't influence." Merkel learned to speak Russian fluently at school, and she was awarded prizes for her proficiency in Russian and mathematics, being at

10088-437: Was re-elected in 2009 with an increased number of seats and could form a governing coalition with the FDP . After brief negotiations, the second Merkel cabinet was sworn in on 28 October 2009. In early 2011, Merkel's approval ratings plummeted, resulting in heavy losses in state elections for her party. An August 2011 poll found her coalition had only 36% support compared to a rival potential coalition's 51%. Notwithstanding

10192-521: Was an infant. Merkel obtained a doctorate in quantum chemistry in 1986 and worked as a research scientist until 1989. She then entered politics in the wake of the Revolutions of 1989 , briefly serving as deputy spokeswoman for the first democratically elected government of East Germany led by Lothar de Maizière . Following German reunification in 1990, Merkel was elected to the Bundestag for

10296-482: Was elected leader of the CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, succeeding her former mentor Günther Krause . Although Merkel had little interest in the political position as such, it has been described as instrumental in building her early political image. During her tenure, the government codified the right to preschool education , although the law only went into effect in 1996. In June 1992, § 218 of

10400-548: Was impressed with the way Merkel handled journalists investigating Schnur's role in the Stasi. In April 1990, the DA merged with the East German Christian Democratic Union , which in turn merged with its western counterpart after reunification. In the German federal election of 1990 , the first to be held following reunification, Merkel successfully stood for election to the Bundestag in

10504-582: Was originally intended for the autumn of 2006. The opposition Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), with its sister party the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), started the campaign with a strong lead over the SPD in opinion polls. The government was generally expected to suffer a major defeat and be replaced by a coalition of the CDU/CSU and the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), with CDU leader Angela Merkel becoming chancellor. However,

10608-409: Was so close that both Schröder and Merkel initially claimed victory. Neither the SPD–Green coalition nor the CDU/CSU and its preferred coalition partners, the Free Democratic Party , held enough seats to form a majority in the Bundestag. A grand coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD would face the challenge of both parties demanding the chancellorship. However, after three weeks of negotiations ,

10712-406: Was suspended on 1 July 2011. Although somewhat popular at the time, the decision has later come under scrutiny, particularly following to the Russian invasion of Ukraine . It has also been criticised in conjunction with Germany's financial commitments to NATO . In 2023, 61% of Germans said that they were in favour of reestablishing conscription. Responding to a budget deficit of €11 billion in

10816-497: Was unprecedented in the GDR of that period, and initially resisted by the university. With backing of the local leadership of the SED party, the project was allowed to proceed. Near the end of her studies, Merkel sought an assistant professorship at an engineering school. As a condition for getting the job, Merkel was told she would need to agree to report on her colleagues to officers of

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