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Angela Merkel
Photo: MICHAEL KAPPELER / AFP
After 16 years as Federal Chancellor, Angela Merkel (CDU) is relaxed and confident about the change of power in the Chancellery.
In her first interview after the federal election she said to the Süddeutsche Zeitung: "I know what we have achieved in the governments that I have led." Merkel has been Chancellor since 2005.
When asked whether she could sleep peacefully at all with the idea that a Social Democrat would rule this country again in the future, Angela Merkel answered "Yes" in an interview.
"There will be political differences, that goes without saying," she said.
"But I can sleep peacefully."
The Chancellor replied how much she contributed to the miserable result of the Union in the Bundestag election: “The result was not good, that is clear.
The CDU and CSU are currently working on it, also with a view to lessons for the future.
I think they'll do very well. "
When asked whether the Union had lost voters because it was no longer available to vote - or because it had not adequately prepared the CDU for the time after its chancellorship, she said: “Everyone works in his own time. That ended for me as party leader in 2018 and is now ending as Federal Chancellor. Everything that I've done, I've done with a view to what was necessary, for the present and of course because such decisions should last for the future. "
Regarding climate protection, Merkel said that it was undisputed that Germany had again achieved a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions in the last ten years.
This was more difficult than, for example, in the 1990s, when the closure of old power plants and production facilities brought considerable savings, she said with a view to power plants in the GDR.
“Given what we need, it's not enough.
But we have struck stakes. "
Error in the corona policy
Regarding the corona crisis, the Chancellor said that she really did not wish that: “That I am the Chancellor who is responsible for ensuring that, for the first time in the post-war period, children cannot go to school for a long time. Even after the previous critical developments that I had to accompany, it was beyond my imagination that such restrictions had to be introduced. Still, it had to be mastered. "
For her, it was crucial that the health system was not overloaded, so that everyone could receive the best possible treatment and as few people as possible died: “In both areas, we were able to prevent a lot of bad things in Germany that unfortunately other countries had to go through. According to these criteria, we have so far got through the pandemic relatively lightly. "
At the same time Merkel admitted mistakes: “I am still sad about one phase: It was Christmas last year.
At that time the tests were in place.
And yet too little was tested in the old people's and nursing homes.
I personally tried to force this around Christmas in telephone conversations with those responsible in the area.
We provided the tests for free and also covered the personnel costs.
Nevertheless, it took too long for this to be implemented in the nursing homes.
That was the weakest moment in fighting the pandemic. "
as / dpa