Analysis: Is Merkel’s big win a mixed blessing?

It is not often you see Germans lose control. But late Sunday night at the party headquarters of the Christian Democratic Union Angela Merkel’s followers were dancing to tunes like “Sex Bomb,” by Tom Jones, many sporting black t-shirts saying, “We Will Remain Chancellor.” It was the victor herself, Angela Merkel, who called her party members to order.

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Germany’s ‘TV duel’ turns friendly as election looms

There’s a saying that the German peace movement has been using since the days of the Cold War that translates into something like this: “Imagine there’s a war and no one shows up.” Adapt that to German politics and you have a pretty good summary of Sunday’s pre-election TV debate between Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union and her rival Frank Walter Steinmeier, of the Social Democratic Party, who is also this country’s Foreign Minister: “Imagine there’s an election and no one fights to win.” That is what viewers saw last night. With just two weeks to go until Germany goes to the polls, both candidates opened up by praising each other and saying how well they have been working together

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