German Chancellor Hopes to Bolster Political Career With Turkey’s Help

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hopes to bolster her sagging political career with Turkish initiative on refugees.
German Chancellor Hopes to Bolster Political Career With Turkey’s Help
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at a joint press conference in Ankara on Feb. 8, 2016. Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images
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There has been a great deal of back-and-forth activities between the European leaders and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the one hand, and between Merkel and her Turkish counterpart Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on the other. The aim is not only to stop the much-euphemized “Tsunami of refugees” that are pouring into Western Europe, with Germany as the final destination, but also to repair the deteriorating relations between Merkel and her European counterparts.

However, at the heart of such activities is Merkel’s endeavor to bolster her sagging political career as the leader of Germany’s conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union. The party’s popularity has fared badly in public opinion polls—it was badly mauled in the three state elections in Germany on March 13—ever since Merkel opened the gates to refugees and migrants from a number of countries, particularly war-ravaged Syria.

Syrian refugees arrive from Turkey on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos, aboard a fishing boat, on Sept. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Syrian refugees arrive from Turkey on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos, aboard a fishing boat, on Sept. 27, 2015. AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris
Manik Mehta
Manik Mehta
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Manik Mehta is a New York/New Jersey-based journalist who has been covering global economics, business, and social–cultural issues for more than 20 years.
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