Does Macron Hold the Key to Merkel’s Heart?

A snowstorm on the East Coast of the U.S. upended Angela Merkel’s travel plans, delaying until March 17 her scheduled Washington meeting with President Donald Trump. One appointment that stayed on the chancellor’s calendar, though, was a March 16 tête-à-tête in Berlin with French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron.

Merkel has good reason to reach out to Macron. The 39-year-old independent centrist now looks to be in position to defeat the far-right National Front’s Marine Le Pen, whose anti-Europe views are anathema to Merkel. Only two months ago, Merkel hosted then-front-runner François Fillon, whose center-right Republican party is the traditional ally of her Christian Democratic Union. But Fillon’s support crumbled over allegations that he hired his wife and children for no-show parliamentary jobs. He was formally charged with misuse of public funds on March 14. Recent polls suggest Fillon will be eliminated in the first round of voting on April 23, with Macron then defeating Le Pen in a May 7 runoff.