FOR Angela Merkel, who is vying to become Germany’s first female chancellor, it was one of the final rites of passage before this September’s election. At a gathering of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) last week in Berlin, Helmut Kohl, the former chancellor, eased his considerable bulk towards the podium.
As the party faithful rewarded him with a standing ovation, Kohl turned to the former protégée he had referred to disparagingly in cabinet meetings as “that girl”. “Dear Mrs Merkel,” he said, “the party has chosen its candidate well.”
This public blessing has added to the momentum behind Merkel, who in recent weeks has widened her lead over Gerhard Schröder, the struggling chancellor, until it now looks almost unassailable.
Opinion polls put support for the CDU at 49%, with Schröder’s Social Democratic party trailing on just 27%. This is evidence, say analysts, not only of the chancellor’s deep unpopularity but also of a dramatic makeover that Merkel has undergone in recent months.
A physicist by training, Merkel was long dismissed as a colourless figure who would stand little chance against the charismatic Schröder. Polls last year put her 20 percentage points behind him, with the majority of voters describing her as “too boring”.
The daughter of a Lutheran minister who moved to East Germany, Merkel grew up experiencing the hardships of life under the Communists, priding herself until recently on her frugal lifestyle, ascetic taste in clothes and skill at making potato soup.
Television pundits lambasted her image as a frumpy housewife who delivered dull speeches while clad in dowdy grey or brown suits.
“On a trip to Washington, a small suitcase on wheels was all the luggage she brought,” said one fellow MP. “Even the aides who never appear in public had a bigger wardrobe.”
The greys and browns have since been thrown out in favour of designer jackets and orange and red blouses. She even posed with her second husband, Joachim Sauer, a chemistry professor, in stylish evening wear.
A make-up artist now prepares Merkel for media appearances. A media consultant is reportedly being sought to fine-tune her skills before two televised debates with Schröder this summer. Even her unfashionable pudding-basin bob has been transformed by Udo Walz, one of the country’s best-known hairdressers.
“There has been a lot of talk about a sudden change of image,” said Eva Christiansen, Merkel’s media adviser and close friend. “But it’s been a gradual change by Angela Merkel herself, not some overnight job by an image-maker.”
Apparently with Merkel’s acquiescence, the German media have also published details of files compiled on her by the Stasi, the former East German secret police. Extracts published last month in Stern magazine described how, after leaving her first husband, Ulrich Merkel, she was described as a loose woman who entertained a string of men.
A dynamic image will prove vital if Merkel is to convince voters she can reverse the slump in fortunes they have suffered under Schröder. Germany is plagued by mass unemployment, hovering at around 5m, a failing health system and spiralling national debt.
The CDU manifesto, due to be unveiled next month, is expected to contain measures to sweep aside labour protection laws that are blamed for stifling business. Small companies will be exempt from many of the more onerous regulations and bosses will be allowed to ask applicants to waive job protection rights.
Companies threatening to cut jobs would be allowed to bypass trades unions and appeal directly to workers to accept pay cuts, work longer hours and take shorter holidays.The retirement age may be raised from 65 to 67.
But the most noticeable changes are likely to be in foreign policy. Improving relations with Washington — badly strained over Schröder’s opposition to the Iraq war — will be a top priority. CDU strategists say they want Germany to be seen as a “reliable partner” and are keen to forge stronger links between Europe and America.
No less significantly, Merkel last week signalled a possible change to the balance of power within the European Union, which has long been dominated by a Franco-German axis.
During a parliamentary debate on the eve of the European Union summit, Merkel declared that Britain was right to try to cling to its £3 billion annual rebate in the face of French intransigence on farm spending.
An indignant Schröder, who has backed President Jacques Chirac over the issue, accused her of undermining his credibility.
Although reports of the demise of the Franco-German axis may be premature, Chirac could find himself facing a new Anglo-German front if Merkel wins in September — a result seen by most analysts as a near certainty given her unprecedented lead in the opinion polls.
“We aspire to the role of benevolent leadership in Europe, not domination, and we know we cannot succeed without Britain,” said Friedbert Pflüger, the CDU’s foreign policy spokesman.
“The secret meetings between Schröder and Chirac followed by public attacks designed to put Tony Blair in a corner was no way to treat a trusted ally.”
