Merkel won't seek 5th term as German chancellor

Who is the guy in the picture? I recognize Merkel but not him.

Open-door immigration, nanny-state socialism etc... the people are sick of this nonsense and voters are making themselves heard.

Which explains why the Greens, have also gained in Germany? Nope. Reality wins again.

Don't imagine the USA's mentality makes sense outside of the USA. While there may be riffs and some similarities, local issues in every country are going to be nuanced

@ Yubaru: That guy is Volker Bouffier, minister president of the state of Hesse.

Voters worldwide are rejecting failed left-wing policies

Populists on the left and right are gaining ground.

Merkel isn’t left wing by German standards.

Merkel’s party gained more votes than any other in the last election.

Your post is very inaccurate.

With some general Googling we get that in Germany, employees who work six days per week are entitled to an annual minimum PAID VACATION of 24 working days.

Sundays are usually off, protected from work but that might vary by state

About 10-13 public holidays a year

Healthcare

For GOPers / Trumpsters to compare the USA to Germany is really not possible

Doesn't matter what you Google, the "reality" is that ordinary German folk are fed up with Merkel and her open door policies. She's brought nothing but despair to Germany and Europe. Pretty sure the left wing nuts will be out in force praising her and thumbs downing most of our comments.

Good riddance to bad rubbish, I'm surprised she lasted so long.

Finally, Get rid of her. The German people have had enough!

Merkel has done perhaps fatal damage to Germany and Western Europe.

The world will miss this amazing woman's voice of sanity in the face of the most moronic, despicable leader the US has ever seen.

What an excellent leader she has been. Which is why so many Americans hate her - they are too stupid to recognize what a good leader is, as evidenced by the abject failure they've chosen for themselves.

It's fortunate that the Germans don't appear to have as many dumb-as-$hit citizens as the US.

Doesn't matter what you Google, the "reality" is that ordinary German folk are fed up with Merkel and her open door policies

Google no good, eh? So what’s the story on the ground with ordinary German people?

The polls I’ve seen from Germany see very different opinions on her immigration policies. Then again, that’s using Google.

My own take is that Merkel, like other European leaders, played fast and loose with immigration and the security of their countries, but I can’t claim to know what ’ordinary’ German people think. Her strange 180 on the failure of multiculturalism was a baffling one for me, but overall, I see her as a very intelligent and shrewd politician.

Anyway, could you please tell us more about your ability to know what you claim. It’s an extraordinary gift.

Maybe she just takes a break? I thought Chancellor didn't have a term limit. At any rate with a proportional representation system any new leader won't be polarizing as the job requires vision.

With any luck the leadership of Germany as the social democratic state to look up to will continue. A spot vacated by the USA for some time now, given its continual demise down the GOP rabbit hole

"Voice of sanity". What a joke.

her open door to a million islamic faux 'refugees' was insane. Im sorry for germany and sorry this awful woman ever had power there.

Not good - she seems to be one of the last high-profile voices of sanity and unity in the world. Hopefully whoever succeeds her is able to take up that mantle.

Germany has to counter USA, Britain and France. They need a strong leader.

Voters worldwide are rejecting failed left-wing policies.

Dunno if they're rejecting 'left-wing' policies per se tbh but they clearly arent rejecting euro social & economic model. Most euros live in countries where ppl work 35/40h a week, have 4/5 weeks (or more, sometimes 8-9) paid holidays/year, great/affordable health care & education, decent living wage and they don't want that to change, why would they?! And euro traditional right is also fine with that (most of it, at least).

Even euro far right is more 'social' than us' conservatives (or japan, oz etc).

The problem with ppl like Merkel is that they have a long term vision for germany/europe and voters don't think 'long term'. The 'long-term potential' of migrants and their kids was always going to be a tough sell & ppl rejected it.

Hungary is not accepting immigrants (refugees) citing that they opened their country to other EU members but not to countries outside EU. Population of Hungary is almost all Christians while refugees are all moslems. Merkel deserves her misjudgment in accepting large number of asylum seekers from moslem world.

Voters worldwide are rejecting failed left-wing policies.

This is simply untrue and Merkel is far from "left wing". She's centerist, if anything.

She has been a major voice in Europe and Germany will be the worse off without her.

her open door to a million islamic faux 'refugees' was insane.

These comments, masquerading as truth are flowing fast and furious every day. They need to be challenged, lest the entire world drowns in the sewer of fake news and intolerance.

There are always going to be criminals in any large group of people. But to say that all of them are criminals is trashy, far-right narrative that emboldens yet more hatred.

Merkel made a brave choice. I hope many more countries will open their hearts and borders to people fleeing from murder and persecution.

Unfortunately for her she is the face of unrestricted immigration which a large portion of the German electorate just don't want.  Not sure that any successor will be more successful electorally unless Germany (and the EU) grasp the immigration bull by the horns.

Voters worldwide are rejecting failed left-wing policies.

That is nonsense. First Merkel's party, the CDU is centrist, and the Greens are not perceived as really left by most Germans. The CDU lost 92.000 votes to the Greens and 94.000 to the AFD which is generally perceived as far right. Voters deserted Merkel's CDU to the left and the right equally, The CDU even lost 5000 votes to the far left Die Linke. The Greens are on the way to become Germany's second largest party and have an even less restricted immigrant policy than the CDU. The reasons Merkel's CDU and the SPD lost so drastically are manyfold, but the main reason is fatigue. After almost 13 years without change, Merkel's government is stagnant and tired looking with entrenched positions, endless power mongering and short on vision and solutions. Change and fresh brooms were long overdue and this is what the last 2 local elections clearly indicate.

Populism occurs when the mainstream politicians ignore the people's will and railroad unpopular social policies while taking a smug attitude about it.

Frau Merkel is a case in point.

The only good news in Merkel's stepping down is that it's not the neo-Nazi AfD pushing her out. It was the Greens, not the AfD, who surged in Hesse, and even in the last election in notoriously right-wing Bavaria. The Greens got almost twice the AfD vote in both elections. 

Outside of the clueless, under-educated, Russian-infiltrated East, the AfD remains a small party ... even though American journalists seem to enjoy pumping it up.

Merkel has been a tireless worker for Germany and the EU. Not all of her choices have been well accepted but no leader is perfect. You cant question her heart to try her best for her country. Looking in from the outside I see a world leader who has helped the female cause for more representation in leadership. Respect to a real leader who is even able to step aside voluntarily for the good of her people. A fine example to leaders everywhere. A big loss for Germany, the EU and the world.

Burning BushToday 06:53 am JST

Voters worldwide are rejecting failed left-wing policies.

Open-door immigration, nanny-state socialism etc... the people are sick of this nonsense and voters are making themselves heard.

This is it, noticed all the lefties and SJW's have voted down reality - commenting on polls means absolutely nothing take a look at reality - Trump in the White House, Right wing parties entering German Parliament, Right Wing Austrian President, etc etc and Now the Brazilian's have elected a Right Wing President.

Time to go Mutti.

Strange that she is on the receiving end of so much hate from our Russian contributors, what gives comrades ? I thought as a Russian speaker she'd get some slack...

Has anyone noticed Merkels eyes are dead?

Open-door immigration, nanny-state socialism etc... the people are sick of this nonsense and voters are making themselves heard.

Was in Germany earlier this year, most people I know think she just completely changed Germany for the worst and will be happy once she’s gone.

"The world will miss this amazing woman's voice of sanity"

Not the majority of Germans. The Merkel government's approval rating is like 29%.

"It's fortunate that the Germans don't appear to have as many dumb-as-$hit citizens as the US."

Keep it classy, lol.

Mutti has wrecked Germanys future. And now she says, "Auf Weidersein!"

Was in Germany earlier this year, most people I know think she just completely changed Germany for the worst and will be happy once she’s gone.

I was in Germany earlier this year and most people I know think Merkel has done a good job.

Looks like a 50/50 tie.

I was in Germany earlier this year and most people I know think Merkel has done a good job.

Looks like a 50/50 tie.

No, because the woman’s power is finally subsiding and she’ll be out soon. Good on Germany. Wir müssen alle zusammen halten!