Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
That quote, attributed alternately to the ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu and the Renaissance writer and philosopher Machiavelli, might have been on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mind on Sunday evening as she announced the six members of her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) whom she would like to serve in her next Cabinet — if her grand coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) is approved.
Merkel said she had tried to strike a balance between experience and youthful energy in making her picks.
“I think we’ve got an effective team that’s equal to the demands of the future,” the 63-year-old Merkel said, adding that all of her proposed ministers are far younger than she is.
But a youth movement probably wasn’t Merkel’s main concern in putting together a new team.
Nominating a rival
Of the six names on her list, the one that stands out most is Jens Spahn, the chancellor’s nominee for health minister. The 37-year-old not only represents a new political generation, but was also heavily critical of Merkel’s welcoming policy toward refugees, and is rumored to have even met with leaders of the CDU’s allied Bavarian party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the center-right Free Democrats for informal brainstorming sessions about a post-Merkel political order.
Read more: Opinion — As CDU spats, Merkel retains her nerves of steel
Spahn is something of an oddball in the Merkel-led CDU. He is far more conservative than the chancellor. His nomination drew immediate criticism from the opposition Left party and Greens, who say he’s far too close to Germany’s mighty pharmaceutical industry.
For more read the full of article at The Dw
