In the wake of the upcoming elections, the official discourse of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party has changed. Merkel, who was an avid supporter of the "We can manage it" strategy, seems to have finally acknowledged her mistakes, experts argue.
"The federal government, on the one hand, said that all the decisions made in Autumn 2015 were correct. However, on the other hand, such situation could occur again. And, as everyone knows that the events we saw in Autumn 2015 must not be repeated and which did not happen in 2016, and so we have undertaken some changes in our course," the politician told Sputnik Germany.
A recent survey carried out by the pollster Forsa for the German magazine Stern and television channel RTL revealed that the popularity of the CDU party decreased by 1% to 34%, while the center-left party (SPD) — the other member of the big coalition, improved its standing by 5% points since last week to 31%.
The same survey found Merkel and SPD chairman Martin Schulz were tied in their race for the German chancellorship, with 37 percent of respondents ready to support either candidate.
"For now, it is true. The only question is whether this is a long-term trend or a flash. We shouldn't be surprised if at first the SPD comes forward. This can be related to the fact that Martin Schulz is like a blank sheet when it comes to domestic policy. We need to accurately examine each step until he outlines his political position on domestic issues," the politician stressed.
He also noted that Angela Merkel remains the best candidate to represent the CDU party in the upcoming election.
"I don't know anyone in the block, who would have better chances. There is no one who could replace Angela Merkel. During the CDU congress, she achieved excellent results. At the moment I don't know a single head of state in Europe, who has such an image and reputation as our Chancellor," the politician concluded.
The chancellor's "open door" migration policy has been criticized by many German politicians and citizens. Concerns about the influx of migrants and refugees were buoyed by a series of terrorist attacks which occurred in Germany in 2016.
Now, Merkel seems to have regained her position following her decision to put an end to the uncontrolled influx of migrants into the country. Merkel, first elected as the chancellor in 2005, is currently planning to run for office for the fourth time in a row. The election is set to take place on September 24, 2017.
