“The World” (Berlin)

After a shamefully bad election campaign with an unhappy and amiable candidate and a precarious base, the Union must draw conclusions from personal and programmatic misery. While the Greens’ own arrogance was the ruin, the SPD played the best game: with Olaf Scholz and Manuela Schwesig he returns to the center. The Union is in the box.

“Sunday Newspaper” (Zurich)

“The Merkel diamond, this symbol of neo-German modesty, is also the symbol of a triumph in reputation management. Maybe that’s because modesty isn’t the first quality that comes to mind when you think of Germans, non-Germans. fell in love with this diamond nationalism – which seemed to turn out to be very small recently, very altruistic, very different from the more distant past. (…)

We know that Germany is a safe country; It’s much more dangerous when he goes out of his way to appear harmless. World champion of climate rescue, world champion of moral policy, world champion of sacrifice for the EU.

Merkel resigns. What’s left? The astonishment. Your party, the CDU: ruined, even if it still wins on Sunday. The country? Tired if not depressed. Its economy: humming as if nothing had happened. If there is anything we Swiss admire the Germans for, it is for the fact that they survived all regimes. “

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“Corriere della Sera” (Rom)

“The Germans say goodbye to the mother of the nation, who has protected them for almost two decades, avoided dangers and threats, guaranteed prosperity and security. this awareness that we must look to the future, that we must leave behind a time which was happy but which is no longer tenable. (…)

More than thirty years have passed since his entry into politics, sixteen at the top of Germany. But Angela Merkel has basically always remained a scientist who has only been lent to politics, who approaches and solves problems by approaching them step by step, on the basis of data and facts. Merkel always preferred values ​​to political positions, which were practically interchangeable for her: human rights, freedom, equality in society, multilateralism. (…)

Its real greatness is that it has long kept Germany in the footsteps of Europe – which is not at all acquired in many countries – and that it has always found possible solutions without there put too much heart and soul. In doing so, she has created a historic example of public morality and ethics that has been rarely seen before and can hardly be emulated. “

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“The Observer” (London)

“You cannot expect a party to win a majority in the Bundestag. Coalition talks to form a new government could take months. Until then, (Angela) Merkel remains practically in power. Uncertainty over As to who will replace her is great, to the often predictable politics of the past 16 years, but one should not be too excited about it.

Neither Olaf Scholz, who heads the SPD, the largest center-left party, nor Armin Laschet, Merkel’s favorite conservative candidate for CDU successor, offer radically different agendas. Both men emphasize continuity while advocating modest and gradual change. It is a problem. During the election campaign, important issues that were ignored during the Merkel era became clear. “

“The Country” (Madrid)

“For four terms and 16 years, she has shaped politics with her sober and pragmatic style and at the same time has remained close to the daily life of her compatriots. But it has also achieved global stature for other reasons. By constantly orienting themselves towards the political center, they almost always have a sane policy far from extremes.

With this flexibility, which in Spanish domestic politics would rather be criticized as incoherent and opportunistic, she led coalition governments with different partners: three times social democrats, once liberal. In this way, she also built a firewall against far-right populism. This trip also included the search for a political orientation that unites values ​​and interests, nation and EU, national and global, economy and social.

Merkel’s record is glamorous, and she ultimately solved the equation for Germany as an economic giant and political dwarf. There is still room for improvement, but Merkel has also succeeded in making Germany a powerhouse in this area. “

“The Times” (London)

“The best that can be said about her style of governance is that she has helped Europe through a number of crises. In particular, she has been instrumental in establishing a number of rescue plans during nightly summits.)

Despite all her weaknesses, she is leaving her post after 16 years with an approval rating that any head of government in the world would envy. Many will miss their stubborn and rational pragmatism, especially during the next crisis. Perhaps her greatest legacy is that she led Germany’s post-reunification ascent to unchallenged supremacy in Europe, but the country’s partners around the world wanted stronger German leadership. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that his successor will. “

“from Volkskrant” (Amsterdam)

“Merkel’s policy took root in the world after the fall of the Berlin Wall. A world that no longer exists. However, a new era requires a new direction. For a Germany that invests more in its infrastructure and in its people. A country which is guided less by commercial interests than by the need for European geopolitical autonomy in an increasingly precarious world.

It is very doubtful that Germany will break with “Merkelism” after Merkel. The election campaign was not characterized by major changes. The next coalition will probably be made up of very different parties that will neutralize each other. In this case, Germany will continue to pursue Merkel-style policies, but with a Chancellor who has less experience and less stature. “

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“The Standard” (Brussels)

“There were a few slippages in the Christian Democrats’ election campaign that undermined its credibility. His countryside has been overwhelmed by the floods. had to stick to the hard work of the victims, although he prefers to work on compromises and solutions behind the scenes.

His awkward appearance (in the flooded area) still haunts him today, and the path to becoming Chancellor is not as easy as he had expected – as the successful Prime Minister of the most important federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. (…) Laschet has long presented himself as Merkel’s successor, as the man who would pursue his policy relentlessly. But when he fell behind Olaf Scholz in the polls, he put different emphasis in the election campaign: more security, less taxes. Laschet distances himself from the Chancellor candidates of the Reds and Greens, who seem to have found each other. He warns of the consequences if they come to power. All analysts say this is a sign of weakness. “

“Nezavisimaya Gazeta” (Moscow)

“Many voters are still undecided which party to vote for. Polls, however, give an impression of precision, which in reality does not exist. … One problem is that polls are usually conducted by landline. Young people use it However, they no longer use it and see it as an ancient means of communication. A large number of voters thus fall out of the field of vision of researchers. One of the advantages of the landline, however, is for the pollsters is that, unlike the cell phone, it is linked to a specific place of residence. And thus creates an atmosphere in a certain city or a certain state. (…) On September 26, there may be surprises . “

“The New Zurich Times”

“The worst-case scenario, one could not formulate it more amicably, would be a red-green-dark red alliance of the SPD, the Greens and the Left Party. If this is enough for such a trio, then the pressure from the base of the three parties will be enormous not to pass up the “historic chance” of a fundamental policy change. As a result, the republic would experience a veritable festival of tax increases, regulation of the planned economy and authoritarian social policy, with generous donations to associations and left groups affiliated with the state and declarations of war to all. those who sail under the liberal or conservative flag. “

“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”

(…) The decisive factor are not moral questions, but only: with whom? If Armin Laschet finds two partners who can help him get a majority, they will already know what they are doing and why they don’t trust Olaf Scholz. It depends on the FDP and the Greens. If they don’t meet, Laschet will be sidelined one way or another. Even in second position, Scholz would still have the possibility of forming a coalition with the Greens and the Left Party. Walter-Borjans indirectly admitted that Scholz would not let that option be taken away from him. Is it a surprise that Kevin Kühnert is speaking at the same time? He smells of the red-green-red morning air, in which Olaf Scholz would be chancellor, but would not have much more to say.