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WORLD NEWS Monday 30 March 2020
Germany's Merkel shines in virus crisis even as power wanes

By DAVID RISING and GEIR which our acting togeth- did not speak of war," the ter stage over the past two Germany is well-prepared
MOULSON er in solidarity matters so influential Sueddeutsche weeks. to offer the massive aid
Associated Press much." Zeitung newspaper wrote. She kept that up after go- program. Its health care
BERLIN (AP) — In her first system has been in good
address to the nation on enough shape to be tak-
the coronavirus pandemic, ing in patients from over-
German Chancellor Ange- whelmed Italy and France,
la Merkel calmly appealed with intensive care beds still
to citizens' reason and dis- available.
cipline to slow the spread Although Germany has
of the virus, acknowledg- registered the third-high-
ing as a woman who grew est number of coronavirus
up in communist East Ger- infections in Europe with
many how difficult it is to 57,695, it has only seen
give up freedoms, yet as a 433 people die, placing
trained scientist emphasiz- it sixth in Europe behind
ing that the facts don't lie. Italy, Spain, France, Britain
Then, wearing the same and even the Netherlands.
blue pantsuit from the tele- Italy alone has over 10,000
vised address, the 65-year- dead.
old popped into her local Experts have attributed
supermarket to pick up Germany's success partially
food, wine and toilet paper to widespread and early
to take back to her Berlin testing for the virus, among
apartment. For her, it was a other things.
regular shopping stop, but In an audio message Thurs-
photos snapped by some- day night, Merkel cau-
one at the grocery store tioned, however, that it was
were shared worldwide as far too early to declare vic-
a reassuring sign of calm tory over COVID-19, saying
leadership amid a global "now is not the time to talk
crisis. about easing measures."
With the coronavirus out- No matter what the out-
break, Merkel is reassert- German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a press conference about coronavirus, in Berlin, come of Germany's virus-
ing her traditional strengths Sunday, March 22, 2020. fighting efforts, it won't
and putting her stamp firm- Associated Press. change the fact that the
ly on domestic policy after Merkel era is drawing to a
two years in which her star With Germany largely shut- "She did not rely on mar- ing into quarantine on Sun- close.
seemed to be fading, with ting down public life, she al- tial words or gestures, but day after a doctor who Merkel has never shown
attention focused on con- luded to her youth in com- on people's reason. ... No- gave her a vaccination any signs of backing off her
stant bickering in her gov- munist East Germany as body knows if that will be tested positive for the coro- 2018 vow to leave politics
erning coalition and her she spelled out the scale of enough, but her tone will at navirus. Since then she has at Germany's next election,
own party's troubled efforts the challenge and made least not lead the people twice tested negative for due next year.
to find a successor. clear how hard she found to sink into uncertainty and the virus herself but contin- But the crisis may burnish
Merkel has run Germany the prospect of clamping fear." ues to work from home. her government's lacklus-
for more than 14 years and down on people's move- Merkel's response to the On Monday, she led a ter image and improve
has over a decade's expe- ment. coronavirus pandemic is still Cabinet meeting by phone its chances of making it
rience of managing crises. "For someone like me, for very much a work in prog- from home and then issued through to the fall of 2021,
She reassured her compa- whom freedom of travel ress, but a poll released an audio message setting after persistent speculation
triots in the 2008 financial and movement were a Friday by ZDF television out a huge government re- that it wouldn't last the full
crisis that their savings were hard-won right, such re- showed 89% of Germans lief package to cushion the legislative term.
safe, led a hard-nosed but strictions can only be justi- thought the government blow of the crisis to business And it certainly could put
domestically popular re- fied by absolute necessity," was handling it well. The — a format she said was her successor on a bet-
sponse to the eurozone she said. But they were, she poll saw Merkel strengthen "unusual, but it was impor- ter footing —though just
debt crisis, and then took said, "indispensable at the her lead as the country's tant to me." who that will be is also up
an initially welcoming — moment to save lives." most important politician, Her vice chancellor, Olaf in the air. Merkel stepped
but divisive — approach to The drama was evident and a strong 7% rise for her Scholz, who is also finance down as her party's leader
an influx of migrants in 2015. in Merkel's words, but the center-right Union bloc af- minister and a member of in 2018 but her own choice
In the twilight of her chan- manner was familiar: Mat- ter months in which it was her coalition partner Social as a successor, Annegret
cellorship, she faces her ter-of-fact and calm, rea- weighed down by ques- Democrats, has also had a Kramp-Karrenbauer, lasted
biggest crisis yet — a fact soning rather than rousing, tions over its future leader- chance to shine in the crisis, just over a year before de-
underlined by her decision creating a message that hit ship. leading the way with the claring that she would step
last week to make her first home. The poll, done by Forsc- aid package that will al- down after failing to estab-
television address to the It is a style that has served hungsgruppe Wahlen, had low Germany to offer busi- lish her authority.
nation other than her an- the former physicist well in a margin of error of plus or nesses more than 1 trillion The decision on who will
nual New Year's message. juggling Germany's often- minus 3 percentage points. euros ($1.1 trillion) that he take over the leadership
"This is serious — take it seri- fractious coalitions and The 65-year-old chancellor described as a "bazooka." of Merkel's Christian Dem-
ously," she told her compa- maintaining public support initially had Health Minister The jury is still out on how ocratic Union party was
triots. "Since German uni- over the years. Jens Spahn be the public the government's ap- supposed to be made in
fication — no, since World "Merkel painted a picture face of the government's proach will work, but af- April, but has been put on
War II — there has been no of the greatest challenge response, drawing some ter having run a budget hold due to the coronavirus
challenge to our country in since World War II, but she criticism but has taken cen- surplus for a half-decade, pandemic. q