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Merkel’s “Failed Victory”: An Anatomy of German Federal Election in 2017

Published:2018-06-14 Published:2018-06-14   Author:Lian Yuru   [Small] [Middle] [Big] [More]

Angela Merkel won the 2017 German federal election, but she lost to the electorate. Merkel was entitled to form a government to start her fourth-term Chancellorship due to the fundamental principles, substantive content, policy implementation, and governing style under her reign. With a “Germany First” policy, Merkel holds on to the German model of economic and social development and intends to promote it across the globe. She is pragmatic, diligent, and problem-oriented. Her governing style can be characterized as calm, low-key, simple, inclusive, and patient. Nevertheless, the Merkel-led CDU/CSU coalition obtained the lowest share of vote since 1949. As a result, she had great difficulty in forming a government, and had to turn to the “left-middle-right” negotiations among parties. Meanwhile, her ability to join hands with France to strengthen the E.U. will also be constrained. In the realm of foreign relations, the overall positive trend of Sino-German relations will not change, but competition and the human rights factor will play a larger role.

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