THE END OF THE MERKEL ERA

It was a warm day in MysticLand. The slightest movement made the Mysticals sweat buckets. They guzzled water and juices. Finally, as the sunny day gave in to a humid evening, Scorch and Felix went out to get their friends some ice lollies.

While Orak and Verum were waiting for their friends, Orak suggested, “Why don’t we do a spot of world-gazing?”

“Sounds good,” replied Verum as she plopped down in front of her crystal ball, adding, “Ooh! Sixteen years of German Chancellor (head of the government) Angela Merkel’s administration have come to an end. Recently, Germany held elections in which Olaf Scholz of the Socialist Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) fared well. SPD won 25.7% of the vote.”

“What about Angela Merkel’s party?” said Orak.

“Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) had an alliance with another political party called the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) for this election,” said Verum, “But together, they won 24.1% of the vote. That’s quite low for CDU-CSU. That’s why SPD’s Scholz will most likely become the next Chancellor of Germany and not Armin Laschet. Laschet is the leader who will take over the CDU-CSU after Merkel.”

“Hmm,” said Orak, “It seems like no one can really match up to Merkel.”

“Of course,” replied Verum, “After all, she was in power for about 16 years starting from 2005. After being reelected in 2009, Merkel took decisive action when Europe was in the middle of a debt crisis. A debt crisis is when the amount of money that a government spends is higher than the amount it earns through taxes.”

“Yes! Her leadership didn’t just help Germany but the entire European Union,” said Orak.

“We cannot forget her response to the refugee crisis of 2015. Even as a bitter war-ravaged Syria and millions of people fled their homes, Merkel stepped in. She allowed them entry into Germany and also helped them make Germany their new home,” said Verum.

“Whoever becomes the next Chancellor of Germany will have big shoes to fill,” said Orak.