Merkel up in polls up and riding to Sarkozy's rescue

By Jean-Baptiste Piggin Feb 15, 2012, 12:31 GMT

Berlin - Amid the eurozone's troubles, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's aura has grown at home and abroad - even prompting French President Nicolas Sarkozy to call her to his rescue as he struggles for re-election.

Polls suggest Merkel will coast back to power in Germany's general election next year, with her Christian Democratic bloc scoring approval rates of 38 per cent - their best since the second Merkel government took office in 2009.

If that support holds, Merkel would be able to choose between a coalition with her party's left-of-centre counterpart, the Social Democrats (26 to 29 per cent approval) or the Greens (13 to 14 per cent).

Meanwhile her current coalition partners, the Free Democrats, would fail even to win renewed representation in parliament, judging by polls published Wednesday by Forsa and last week by public broadcaster ZDF.

Merkel's resilience is sometimes attributed to a lack of convincing alternatives, but France's Sarkozy seems certain that her secret is the German economy, which is humming along, with confidence rising even amid the eurozone's troubles.

Last week, both leaders appeared in a joint television interview in which Sarkozy was fulsome in his praise of German economic reforms. His message: France also needs to trim labour costs.

French cartoonists have taken to depicting Sarkozy as a child led by the hand of 'Mama Merkel' or nursed from her bottle.

Merkel's support to Sarkozy is not being given in her capacity as chancellor, but as leader of the Christian Democrats which have an affinity with Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement, her aides say.

The move has dismayed Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), who say they will retaliate by weighing in on behalf of the Socialist candidate, Francois Hollande, who is expected to win the election at the final round in May.

Supporting Hollande could antagonize German voters however. Even the SPD, who have struggled to portray themselves as prudent on the economy, are queasy about his proposals.

He proposes 20 billion euros (26 billion dollars) in extra annual spending - which he says will be offset by savings - and a partial rollback of Sarkozy's pension reform that increased the retirement age to 62. Germany has raised it to 67.

'In parts, it's quite alarming,' said a leading Social Democrat who did not want to be named.

Hollande addressed the Social Democrats' congress in Berlin in December and unnerved many with calls for an EU fiscal union and using the European Central Bank as a lender of last resort.

Those are anathema to a majority of Germans and would be political poison for the SPD, which has had little success in denting Merkel's standing.

A ZDF poll last week showed Germans found Merkel to be the most impressive of the country's 10 top politicians.

Manfred Guellner, head of Forsa, says Merkel is single-handedly keeping her party in the lead.

'They can thank her for the 38 per cent (approval ratings), because people trust her,' he told Stern magazine.

Despite fears among Germans that the sovereign-debt crisis may turn into a disaster, most believe Merkel's dogged insistence on discipline for Greece has been wiser than the Social Democrats' call for generous loans.

Merkel's no-frills style has worked in her favour, offsetting her against President Christian Wulff, who is under fire over his ties to a coterie of provincial business figures who apparently eased his access to cheap home loans, cars and holidays.

Germans take it as read that Merkel, who grew up in former communist East Germany as the daughter of a Lutheran pastor, has no desire for jewellery or fast cars and no need of wealthy friends.

'The more that Wulff loses ground in the eyes of the public, the more she seems to become quasi-presidential,' commented a newspaper, the Mannheimer Morgen, describing Merkel as a matriarchal figure.

Wulff's troubles could still become an embarrassment to Merkel, who nominated him to the mainly ceremonial post in 2010 and would be forced to negotiate a replacement if he had to step down.

The chancellor is also potentially vulnerable to a revolt from the conservative faction of her party, who resent her adoption of anti-nuclear policies and deep cuts in defence spending.

But as long as Merkel remains their key to winning the next election, those doubts are likely to be subdued.

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