Angela Merkel, a popular chancellor

Half way through her four year term, Angela Merkel is enjoying unprecedented popularity. The editorialist is surprised by this: "Who, in Autumn 2005, would have bet a single euro on Angela Merkel ? Almost no one, after her ever so laborious rise to power. ... Here, less than two years later, is a woman gathering three quarters of the votes of her compatriots who are satisfied by her performance. .. The strength of this success ? Above all it can be measured by how robust the German economy is. ... The statistic of the day is the first public surplus since, reunification. Not bad for a nation that for a long time broke the rules of the stability pact. ... These successes are firstly due to the unpopular reforms introduced by Gerhard Schröder, which cost him a re-election. In his time, Tony Blair also reaped his first successes... thanks to the ruthless Margaret Thatcher."

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