Chancellor Merkel in peril
October 2nd, 2018A pro-government and a left-wing columnist both think that Chancel Angela Merkel is in a difficult situation, and unless she overcomes the challengers she faces, she may soon lose power.
Magyar Hírlap’s Mariann Őry wonders if Chancellor Merkel can survive the latest series of challenges to confront her. The pro-government columnist thinks that Angela Merkel has made several U-turns in her migration policies. Őry writes that on Thursday, the same chancellor who in 2015 promised unconditional help for refugees, criticized the Hungarian government for erecting the border fence too late to stop the wave of undocumented migrants. Őry finds it no less ambiguous and complacent that Chancellor Merkel demands the protection of human rights from Turkish President Erdogan, but at the same time, she admits to Germany ‘millions of individuals’ whose worldview are even less liberal and tolerant than the policies of the Turkish government. In conclusion, Őry suggests that such controversial policies may soon lead to Chancellor Merkel’s defeat.
In Népszava, Tamás Rónay also thinks that Chancellor Merkel should look for a successor. The left-wing commentator speculates that state elections in October in Bavaria and Hesse may deliver huge blows to both the CDU and CSU. The dispute between the more moderate CDU and the increasingly anti-immigrant CSU has disappointed center-right voters, he believes. The longer the dispute between the two parties lasts, the less likely that Germany and Europe will be able to tackle the difficult geopolitical and economic challenges they face. Unless Chancellor Merkel can settle the dispute between the two center-right parties, she may be ousted from power, Rónay suggests.