13 Quotes by Gerd Langguth

She has a cool personality. She does not easily express her emotions. That may explain why people have difficulty identifying with her.

She appeals to the German brain, if not the German heart. She doesn't inspire strong emotions. But she does inspire strong thinking about what is truly best for the nation.

She is a stranger to most Germans. Many East Germans think of her as a West German, while West Germans think she is an East German.

Mrs Merkel has always been underestimated. She has an uncompromising will to succeed. She always seems to know what to do next and then get on with it.

Never before has a new government hit the public with so many burdens.

It could be her first large setback but let's wait and see.

The existence of this Left Party is going to make it so much harder for either the centre-left on the one side or the centre-right on the other to form a coalition for a long time.

Both sides are faced with enormous pressure to make this coalition work. That involves concessions on both sides. What matters, though, is the joint will to actually start tackling the trouble spots.

As soon as this election was called in May, it automatically became about what the CDU would do differently, rather than what plans the SPD had, ... And perhaps inevitably, some of the CDU proposals appear painful.