The Christian Democratic Union has explored campaigning on a platform of security amid surging support for the populist AfD party, according to "Bild." Tax relief and traditional family structures are also on the table.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
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The Berlin-based newspaper "Bild" on Friday reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will likely emphasize tax cuts, homeland security and the family for its campaign platform ahead of the 2017 federal elections.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is prepping a tax relief program for 2018 that would lower taxes on small and medium-range incomes, "Bild" reported, citing sources in the party's inner circles. He is also working on ways to apply a reduction to the solidarity tax.
The CDU also wants to promote the traditional father-mother-child family structure, the paper added.
"The Union is committed to tax relief for small and medium incomes," said Eckhardt Rehberg, the budgetary spokesperson for the CDU's parliament group, according to "Bild."
"We want to take further steps in the reduction of bracket creep and tax relief for families," Rehberg added, referring to the impact of Germany's progressive income tax structure.
Waning support?
Merkel's conservative party also wants to increase staff in the federal police and intelligence services in a bid to challenge the populist Alternative for Germany's (AfD) security-oriented platform.
According to the Berlin-based paper, the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), are expected to review the proposed strategies in June.
The German chancellor has come under scrutiny for her open-door policy towards people fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere.
10 years of Merkel: The most important moments
Angela Merkel was once seen as the Christian Democrats' interim leader after the departure of Helmut Kohl. Today, she has been party leader for 15 years and ruled Germany for a decade. And the Merkel era continues.
Image: Reuters
Two firsts
"I want to serve Germany": Angela Merkel made that promise when she was sworn in as chancellor on November 22, 2005. Merkel was the first woman to become chancellor, and first chancellor from the former East Germany. She became head of the government, a grand coalition between the Christian Democrats/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD).
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Bergmann
Merkel and the guest from Tibet
Merkel's start was shaped by her low-key manner and her more presidential-style of leadership. She caused a stir in 2007 when she met with the Dalai Lama, to the displeasure of Beijing, a visit that resulted in the clouding of German-Chinese relations. Merkel defied concerns and seemed to want to distinguish herself in the field of human rights.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Schreiber
Who's afraid of Putin's dog?
Rumor has it that Merkel is always rational and can keep her nerve. Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently wanted to test the chancellor's limits when he received her in 2007 at his residence in Sochi. And he appeared to find her weakness: the chancellor is afraid of dogs. That didn't stop him Putin from letting his black Labrador Koni sniff around Merkel's heels.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Astakhov
Rescue under the umbrella
In most crisis situations, Merkel remains cool. When the financial markets collapsed in 2008 and threatened to pull down the German economy, she acted. She was significantly involved in the construction of the euro safety umbrella, and distinguished herself as a crisis manager. Germany got off relatively scot-free but Merkel's measures were felt by others, notably the Greeks and the Spaniards.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/H. Villalobos
Second term
Despite polling the second-worst election result in the history of the conservative alliance, the general election on September 27, 2009 was a triumph for Merkel. After the unloved grand coalition with the SPD, she was now able to rule with her preferred partner: the liberal Free Democrats (FDP).
Image: Getty Images/A. Rentz
Rapid change of course
Merkel, who as a physicist is known for thinking things through, did not foresee the 2011 nuclear catastrophe in Japan. In the wake of the Fukushima disaster the staunch supporter of nuclear energy changed her tune in record time. A newly agreed long-term extension program for nuclear reactors was quickly overturned, and Germany was on track for a nuclear exit.
Image: Getty Images/G. Bergmann
The man at her side
Who would recognize him? Who knows his voice? In 10 years as chancellor, Merkel's husband Joachim Sauer has remained basically unnoticed. The professor of physical and theoretical chemistry at Berlin's Humboldt University has been married to Merkel since 1998. When his wife is on duty, he remains discreetly in the background. In their private life, however, it's often the other way around.
Image: picture alliance/Infophoto
NSA affair: Crisis of friendship
Of all countries, it was the US, one of Germany's closest allies, that intercepted calls made by top German politicians. The US secret service even bugged the chancellor's cellphone. The wire-tapping disclosures in 2013 were a domestic and foreign policy worst-case scenario for Merkel. One remark in particular was notable: "Spying among friends, that's just wrong!"
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
The Greek patient
Merkel's worldwide fan base is large - though in Greece, it's perhaps a bit smaller. The chancellor faced much hostility in 2014, at the high point of the Greek financial and debt crisis. Old images of the German enemy were resurrected, but Merkel remained steadfast: economize, reform, make cutbacks, those were her demands of the Athens government.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/S. Pantzartzi
A show of emotion
Merkel, typically reserved, let go of all the restraints of protocol at the 2014 FIFA World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro, cheering together with German President Joachim Gauck. She was at the height of her popularity, and the victorious German national soccer team as well, both shaping Germany's image abroad.
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We can do this, can't we?!
Asylum laws know no upper limit, said the chancellor earlier this year as hundreds of thousands of refugees arrived in Germany via the Balkans. "We can do this!" is Merkel’s motto in the face of Europe's refugee crisis. She has a plan, she says. But in the meantime, many Germans are wondering: "Can we succeed?" The answer remains to be seen.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Hoppe
What now, Frau Merkel?
Friday the 13th - a massacre in November. France is in a state of emergency, and Merkel assures her mourning neighbor of "every support." The fear of terrorism has enveloped everyone. Without a doubt, Germany's chancellor is facing one of the greatest challenges of her 10-year anniversary.