Major test for Merkel as cries for change grow louder

Party members press for clearer directions. Business and labour seek bolder economic policies.

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BERLIN • Long-serving politicians frequently miss the right moment to leave the political stage.

Germany's first post-war chancellor Konrad Adenauer, widely acclaimed for overseeing his country's reconstruction, led the country for 14 years from 1949 to 1963. Yet, he retired in diminished circumstances - his Christian Democratic Union (CDU)-Christian Social Union coalition, having done badly in the Bundestag polls, was in need of a coalition partner. The Free Democrats agreed. Their price: that Mr Adenauer step down as chancellor half way through his term.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 20, 2019, with the headline Major test for Merkel as cries for change grow louder. Subscribe