What awaits the next chancellor in the post-Merkel inbox?

Germany’s next chancellor faces a huge to-do list, dominated by crumbling infrastructure, strikes, and the formation of a European army. Whoever takes over, Merkel will be a hard act to follow, reports Mary Dejevsky from Berlin

Has Merkel’s Germany been resting on its laurels? (AP)

The world cannot say it had no warning. Angela Merkel has timed her departure as Chancellor of Germany after 16 years and four terms in office as methodically as she has exercised power for most of that time. She stated after her last election victory that she would be serving her last term, and no one interpreted that as a bluff. She relinquished the leadership of her party, the Christian Democratic Union, three years ago to clear the way for a successor to become established in good time, or at least that was the plan.

But with only days to go before Germany votes on Sunday in the parliamentary elections that will produce her successor, there still seems to be a widespread lack of comprehension that someone else will be occupying her desk at the Chancellery, someone else will be speaking from her lectern in the Bundestag, and someone else will be representing Germany on the European and global stage. There may be a hiatus – the time it will take for the victor of what looks set to be a close-run contest to form a new coalition government – but Merkel herself will not be in power any more.

Outgoing chancellor Gerhard Schroeder shakes hands with newly appointed Angela Merkel in 2005 (Getty Images)