Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with the country’s president. Frank Walter Steinmeier The highest honor awarded to a politician in his country is the Great Merit Medal. Surrounded by unconditional supporters and made in absence. former rivalsinternal included
Steinmeier, who was Merkel’s foreign minister before her presidency, is the current prime minister and, in her last term, the former finance minister. Olaf Scholz, or the president of the European Commission (EC), his former Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen occupied the positions of honor. Another thing in the back were faces outside the political realm, like the former football coach. Jurgen KlinsmannSome family members as well as colleagues from the world of science, to which Merkel was a member before entering politics and to which her husband, a professor of Chemistry, continues to be a member. Joachim Sauer.
At the ceremony, the absence of the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was discussed more than these participations. Friedrich Mertzas well as the current leadership of the party, which the former chancellor led for 18 years.
Steinmeier expanded Merkel’s merits and political achievements, recalled European leadership. successive crises.as well as various traits of his personality: common sense, absence of arrogance and her talent for consensus. The award gave a short speech to thank its guests for their presence, starting with Scholz.
It was a sober ceremony, although it was the Great Order of Merit, the highest honor awarded in Germany. There is another Grand Cross of higher rank, but when he reaches this position he is automatically accepted by every president, so he does not have a degree of recognition. So far the Great Merit Medal has only been received Conrad Adenauerin power from 1949 to 1963 and riding helmutOn the job from 1982 to 1998. Both these two former chancellors and Merkel belong to the CDU and, on the contrary, the Social Democrats did not receive it either. Willy Brandt nor his successor and co-religionist Helmut Schmidt It’s already a reason to think these days.
reduced ceremony
The ceremony at Bellevue Palace had quite a minor character, but it went beyond the list. 20 guests Among them, some of his closest former ministers stood out – for example, the former head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Helge Brownand that of the Interior, Thomas de Maiziere– two advisers and secretaries who are almost part of his family –Eva Christiansen And Beate Baumann-. And another pillar of his years in power is Steffen Seibert, former government spokesman.
However, apart from these familiar names from her “environment”, the thing that made the most noise was the absence of Merz, whom Merkel had cornered when she took the helm of the CDU in 2000. As soon as the former chancellor withdrew from the political vanguard, his old rival turned to the offensive. It was said in Merkel’s speech. 16 years ‘social democratizing’ the German moderate right – in power from 2005 to 2021. A year and a half after his political retirement, there is hardly any trace of the CDU. centrism Merkel represents.