The Slow March of Germany’s Democracy Means Merkel Isn’t Leaving Yet

For the past 16 years, Europe and the world have grown accustomed to Angela Merkel’s steady hand steering the German government. So after a Sept. 26 election in which Merkel wasn’t a candidate, those wary of change and fearing a vacuum have fretted about the end of the chancellor’s long tenure. But for now at least, Germany’s leader will be … Angela Merkel.

The voting left the Social Democratic Party in the lead (though just barely), the Christian Democrats reeling from their first outright defeat since 1998, and two smaller parties positioning themselves as kingmakers. After Germany’s last national election, in 2017, it took almost six months to install a governing coalition—despite a clear victory by the incumbent chancellor. Until a new government is named, Merkel will remain in the Chancellery. “Nobody wants to repeat the experience of 2017,” says Carsten Nickel, a managing director at political risk consultancy Teneo. “But it’s always a challenge to get parties together.”