According to a report by Russian Television Station (RT) on October 26, German President Steinmeier officially dismissed Merkel as chancellor on the 26th and praised the outgoing leader.
On October 26, 2021, German Acting Chancellor Angela Merkel received a "dismissal certificate" from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Pictured from Reuters
According to reports, on the 26th, Merkel officially resigned from the position she has been holding for nearly 16 years. She has become the second-longest-serving chancellor in German history and will effectively remain at the helm until a new government is formed.
As the first female chancellor in German history, Merkel's tenure was only shorter than that of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, according to the Observer Network. Known as the "Reunification Chancellor" for the reunification of East and West Germany during his tenure, Kohl served as Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 for 5,869 days.
To catch up with Cole, Merkel will need to remain in office until December 2021. But Merkel, 67, did not run for re-election in the September 26 national ballot after four consecutive terms.
Russian TELEVISION reported on the 26th that before the establishment of the new German government, Merkel will serve as interim prime minister. Coalition government talks are likely to continue until December.
On the 26th, at the official ceremony held at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, President Steinmeier said that Merkel's reign was "one of the greatest periods in Germany's modern history."
The president also said Merkel was credited with the fact that Europe did not "break up". Her time in power defined Germany's image in the world and the image of an entire generation of young Germans. However, Steinmeier also said that Merkel did face many crises and challenges during her tenure.
Not everyone agrees with Merkel's previous decisions. Merkel's decision to admit more than 1 million migrants and refugees in 2015, for example, drew harsh criticism, including from her own CDU party members. The open-door policy brought some disappointed conservatives into Germany's right-wing party (AfD), which climbed in support, while Merkel's CDU has been losing out ever since.
In addition, since April 2020, Merkel's harsh lockdown measures and other policies related to epidemic prevention have not been accepted by some members of the public.
Merkel's CDU suffered a historic blow in the September 26 election. Rival Social Democrats stood out during this period. Merkel's chosen successor, Amin Raschet, conceded defeat and acknowledged that the CDU "needs to be promoted in all areas", saying he was prepared to resign as chairman of the party.
Olaf Scholz infographic. Source: Russian Satellite News Agency
Reuters reported that Olaf Scholz, the SPD party that won the election, would succeed Merkel as chancellor, with SPD nominating nominee health policy expert Baerbel Blas to succeed Wolfang Schaeuble as speaker of the Bundestag.
Bath is the third woman to serve as speaker of the Bundestag since its inception in 1949. The third woman to take on this role. The Bundestag has more women and ethnic minority members than before – although critics have stressed that it still does not reflect the broader composition of German society – and the first two female representatives in history.
The SPD hopes to form a coalition government with the Greens and liberal democrats by 6 December, which would topple conservatives after Merkel came to power for 16 years.
The SPDs, Greens and Liberal Democrats describe their alliance as a new starting point for Germany, which will focus on modernizing Europe's largest economy and tackling climate change.
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