She has been his political compass in recent years. And he her closest ally. But Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Mark Rutte will soon have to do without each other. Angela Merkel will no longer run for election in the German elections on September 26.
And with that comes an end to one of the longest political alliances in Western Europe. Today they opened a Vermeer exhibition together in Dresden, probably their last time together as colleagues.
This is what the two leaders meant to each other:
Merkel as a political compass
The cooperation between the two heads of government was intensive. Rutte met Merkel in the autumn of 2010 during the European Council in Brussels. He was then prime minister. Rutte, like other European colleagues, was deeply impressed by the German Chancellor’s knowledge of the dossier.
“Although it is impossible to master every issue in detail, Merkel always ensures that she is the best prepared person at the table on the most important files,” says correspondent Wouter Zwart. “Rutte acknowledges that he copied this negotiating tactic from her, in order to have an edge over the rest during European summits.”
Merkel has really been Rutte’s compass, says Arjan Noorlander, political interpreter of Nieuwsuur. “Germany and the Netherlands are economically very intertwined, so that there are many common interests. In that sense, following Merkel is also a very pragmatic choice of Rutte.”
The political and economic ties between the two countries have continued to grow under both leaders in recent years.
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