Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron took a gamble on a snap election in an effort to crush the far-right National Rally (RN), but instead delivered a hung parliament that is unable to agree on virtually anything. Recent polls suggest the RN’s Jordan Bardella would have a good shot at winning the French presidency in 2027.
“The whole of Europe looked to Berlin today in the hope that Germany would reassert itself as an anchor of stability and a pro-European powerhouse. That hope has been dashed. With consequences way beyond our borders,” said Jana Puglierin, head of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Merkel’s reject
At the heart of all this is a question. How did Merz end up making such a mess of what should have been a parliamentary formality? Was it a mistake by one or two lawmakers who thought they could get away with a protest? Or was it a deeper sign of a leader prone to political miscalculation?
During his brief time in the international spotlight so far, Merz has shown himself to be impulsive and fallible. He took a gamble in relying on AfD votes to pass migration measures in the Bundestag before the election, believing it would strengthen his CDU party’s vote. Instead, the Christian Democrats slid, while the AfD continued its march.
In astonishingly blunt statements after the polls closed on election night, Merz laid into Trump and questioned the viability of NATO.
Merz’s critics point to a decision by former leader Angela Merkel to bar him from powerful positions as evidence she knew he wasn’t good enough to hold high office.
If they’re right, it might be that the only thing worse for Europe than a weakened Chancellor Merz — would be a strong one.