The ongoing political turmoil in Germany could actually benefit Chancellor Angela Merkel, a political analyst told CNBC Tuesday.
There have been reports that the current political impasse in Germany is affecting the popularity of the German leader, but according to Peter Matuschek, chief political analyst at polling company Forsa, “it’s quite the opposite.”
“If we look at the polls, about half of the Germans want her to stay in power, want her to run again if there would be new elections, so I think she could even benefit from the situation as she forged an image as crisis manager during her three terms in office,” Matuschek said.
In September, Merkel’s conservatives suffered their worst election result since 1949 as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) saw a surge in support. The CDU and its Bavarian sister-party the Christian Social Union (CSU) won 33 percent of the vote, but that was down from 41.5 percent in the 2013 election.
Following the collapse of coalition talks, Merkel said Monday that she would rather a new snap election than lead a minority government, and that Germany is stable despite doubts over the next leadership.
Otto Fricke, a member of the Federal Board of the pro-business FDP — the party that decided to walk out from the negotiations — told CNBC Tuesday that Merkel is still able to lead Europe, despite the political impasse.
The opinion of Germany is crucial for European policy making. As the largest euro economy, Germany has a strong influence to determine the future of Brexit, the deepening of the euro zone as well as debt restructuring for Greece, among other issues.
Source: cnbc
Political turmoil is good for Angela Merkel, says analyst