Matthew Schofield: Germany's Angela Merkel To Become Germany's First Female Chancellor
Angela Merkel today will become Germany's first female chancellor and the first former East German to lead this country's government.
She's also likely to be first in line for heavy criticism as Germany's new "Grand Coalition" government moves to cut or reform cherished social programs in an effort to combat high unemployment, low consumer confidence and a scarcity of recent private investment.
"Her victory will be an important moment, but she won't have long to savor it," said Frank Umbach, who studies German policy and society at The German Council on Foreign Relations, a research center.
The Bundestag, Germany's parliament, is expected to vote her into office in the morning, and she is to be sworn in by mid-afternoon -- the result of months of negotiations between Ms. Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union and its traditional rivals, the center-left Social Democratic Party.
Neither side won enough votes to govern on its own in last September's elections. The "grand coalition" they agreed to controls 448 seats in parliament, compared with the opposition's 166, and should be able to force through any legislation.
But problems are expected from within, much as they'd be expected in a coalition of Democrats and Republicans, sparking fears that the coalition could fracture quickly and leave openings for radical elements from the left and the right.
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Some argue that Ms. Merkel's presence alone is a sign that Germany is ready for change. This has been a land of men in charge not only since the formation of Germany in 1871, but throughout Prussian history for centuries.
Potsdam University German historian Manfred Goertemaker said the fact that neither Ms. Merkel's gender nor her East German origin was a campaign issue says a lot about German society now: "Even 10 years ago, her selection would have been shocking. But these are practical times."
She's also likely to be first in line for heavy criticism as Germany's new "Grand Coalition" government moves to cut or reform cherished social programs in an effort to combat high unemployment, low consumer confidence and a scarcity of recent private investment.
"Her victory will be an important moment, but she won't have long to savor it," said Frank Umbach, who studies German policy and society at The German Council on Foreign Relations, a research center.
The Bundestag, Germany's parliament, is expected to vote her into office in the morning, and she is to be sworn in by mid-afternoon -- the result of months of negotiations between Ms. Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union and its traditional rivals, the center-left Social Democratic Party.
Neither side won enough votes to govern on its own in last September's elections. The "grand coalition" they agreed to controls 448 seats in parliament, compared with the opposition's 166, and should be able to force through any legislation.
But problems are expected from within, much as they'd be expected in a coalition of Democrats and Republicans, sparking fears that the coalition could fracture quickly and leave openings for radical elements from the left and the right.
...
Some argue that Ms. Merkel's presence alone is a sign that Germany is ready for change. This has been a land of men in charge not only since the formation of Germany in 1871, but throughout Prussian history for centuries.
Potsdam University German historian Manfred Goertemaker said the fact that neither Ms. Merkel's gender nor her East German origin was a campaign issue says a lot about German society now: "Even 10 years ago, her selection would have been shocking. But these are practical times."