Nostalgia for Merkel is fading in a Germany at a low ebb.

BerlinOne in four Germans feels nostalgic for former Chancellor Angela Merkel, although many of her compatriots question her legacy, even within her own party. Four years after he left office, 25% of Germans long for the old days when the Christian Democrat was Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Merkel, raised in communist East Germany, was Federal Chancellor between 2005 and 2021. For 16 years she was one of the most powerful women in the world. The social democrat Olaf Scholz replaced her as chancellor.before handing over the reins in May to the conservative Friedrich Merz. To the question, "Do you miss Angela Merkel as Federal Chancellor?", 25% of Germans surveyed responded that Yeah and rather yeswhile 68% responded No and rather notAccording to the results of a recent poll by the Civey polling institute for the newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe group, Merkel, 71, is more popular among young people and voters of the Greens and the left-wing party, Die Linke, than among conservatives in the CDU/CSU (her own party) and the Social Democrats. Many conservative voters and politicians have disliked Merkel's public criticism of Chancellor Merz. Every public statement she makes is scrutinized and grabs headlines if it contains even the slightest hint of criticism of Merz or his policies. Twenty years after first being sworn in as chancellor, Merkel has many admirers, as has been seen during the promotional tour for her memoirs. Her book Freiheit: Erinnerungen 1954-1921 [Freedom: Memoirs, 1954-2021], written in collaboration with his advisor Beate Baumann, and published in Spain by the RBA publishing houseIt attracts readers of several generations; her public talks fill theaters and her book signings always have a line.

Merkel has already sold more than one million copies of her book worldwide since its release in late November 2024, taking into account all formats (print, ebook, and audiobook), according to data from her publisher, Kiepenheuer & Witsch (KiWi). In Germany, her memoirs spent seven weeks at number one on the bestseller list published by the magazine Spiegel and many more in other positions.

Merkel inspires sympathy and affection, but she also has many enemies who blame her for the current difficulties facing Germany. Her detractors criticize her for the lack of reforms during her term, his intransigence during the Greek crisis and his laxity towards Russia and ChinaHe is criticized for leading Germany into an irresponsible dependence on Russian gas, the deterioration of the country's infrastructure, and for abandoning nuclear power despite climate challenges.

One of his most controversial decisions was opening Germany's doors between 2015 and 2016 to 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers, mostly Syrians. His critics believe this decision contributed to the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the second-largest party in the February federal elections.

Nostalgia for better times

Now, even though many Germans never voted for her, they long for her style of politics, in a world marked by international crises and polarizing figures like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Despite the fact that criticism of her legacy remains enormous, "people greatly appreciate her as a person and find her fascinating," noted Gregor Peter Schmitz, editor of the magazine SternAfter interviewing her at a public event in Berlin,

Her 16 years as chancellor are associated with reliable crisis management, such as during the pandemic, and with a sense of calm and continuity. Many value her moderate tone, her level-headedness, her confidence, and her empathy. "It is her tone that many people have begun to miss, not necessarily her policies," the magazine explains. Spiegel, which compares the sympathy the former chancellor still generates at her public appearances to that of the Queen Mother.

Retired Merkel has even served as a muse for the writer David Safier, who has made her the protagonist of a series of humorous detective novels that have been a great success with the public and have been adapted for television and theater. After leaving the chancellorship, Miss Merkel solves murder cases, in the style of Inspector Colombo or Miss Marple. Like the television inspector and the protagonist of Agatha Christie's novels, Miss Merkel is very intelligent, and her adversaries tend to underestimate her.