German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s grasp on power is slipping as a political revolt over the migrant crisis has her “pinned to a wall,” according to one analyst.
A heated showdown within her government has exposed divisions that many believe cannot be mended and could ultimately lead to her ouster if pressure intensifies.
Merkel’s rejection of tighter border security proposals from her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, considered a hardliner on immigration, served as the ultimate tipping point, and a scheduled Thursday session in the Bundestag was canceled after failed late-night talks - a rare occurrence.
Analysts at globalist think tanks have been on edge, warning that this could be the beginning of the end for Merkel, who barely cobbled together a coalition months after the 2017 elections.
“To those who argue that Europe's populist wave is over-hyped, it now has Merkel pinned to a wall,” tweeted Matthew Goodwin, a visiting senior fellow at Chatham House. “Nothing will be the same from hereon. Ivan Krastev was right when he argued that the refugee crisis would be a game changer.”
Matthew Goodwin?@GoodwinMJTwitter Ads info and privacyTo those who argue that Europe's populist wave is over-hyped, it now has Merkel pinned to a wall.
Peter Rough@peterrough
Nothing will be the same from hereon.
Ivan Krastev was right when he argued that the refugee crisis would be a game changer.I am in Berlin and you can cut the tension with a knife. Merkel is on the brink at the moment. In fact, one foot is over the ledge and she is peering into the abyss. AfD may be merely in opposition, but their pressuring of CSU from the right may lead to end of her chancellorship. https://twitter.com/thomaswright08/status/1007222652665257984 …
9:41 PM - Jun 14, 2018
“I am in Berlin and you can cut the tension with a knife,” asserted Peter Rough of the Hudson Institute. “Merkel is on the brink at the moment. In fact, one foot is over the ledge and she is peering into the abyss. AfD may be merely in opposition, but their pressuring of CSU from the right may lead to end of her chancellorship.”
Peter Rough@peterroughTwitter Ads info and privacyI am in Berlin and you can cut the tension with a knife. Merkel is on the brink at the moment. In fact, one foot is over the ledge and she is peering into the abyss. AfD may be merely in opposition, but their pressuring of CSU from the right may lead to end of her chancellorship.
Tom Wright@thomaswright08Biggest story you're likely missing right now: Merkel in an internal party crisis in Germany (over migration) and could lose a confidence vote this week, leading to her resignation. Situation in Berlin on a knife edge.
3:36 PM - Jun 14, 2018
Tom Wright, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute also weighed in, saying, “Biggest story you're likely missing right now: Merkel in an internal party crisis in Germany (over migration) and could lose a confidence vote this week, leading to her resignation. Situation in Berlin on a knife edge.”
It is unclear how events will play out over the weekend, but all bets are off the table as the anti-migration populist wave spreads westward across the continent.
Germany's population has grown by two million since the start of the migrant crisis in 2015.