Berlin

By noon, Eastern Standard Time, everyone will know the results of the German elections. And the most likely outcome is a grand coalition between Angela Merkel’s CDU and the Social Democrats. The Alternative for Germany party is expected to garner enough votes to enter the Bundestag, much to the detriment of the CDU but more so the Free Democrats who will resume the role of the opposition. What is not in doubt is the Christian Democrats will remain in power and Merkel will continue her reign as chancellor. And if she finishes another four-year term, she will have been in office longer than Margaret Thatcher and longer than any other chancellor except Helmut Kohl and Konrad Adenauer. In fact, she’ll be in a tie with, um, well, never mind that other guy.

At a final rally in Berlin’s Tempodrome—not to be confused with the Terror Drome from G.I. Joe—Merkel was a star. Prior to her appearance, a soft-rock band called Noble Composition played a song called “Angie Has to Save the World.” A commercial ran on the jumbotron, showing “die Kanzlerin” looking contemplative, leaning on a balcony overlooking the capital, pensive at times, and reassuring Germans about the future, speaking in soothing tones. Although her nickname, “Mutti” or Mommy, started as a cynical joke, Merkel has very much assumed the role of a comforting mother. And judging by her soaring popularity, it’s working. Even the opposition has nice things to say about Merkel when it comes to her handling international affairs. Two weeks ago during a visit to D.C. for an AICGS/SAIS event, the SPD deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Hans-Ulrich Klose, admitted, “When you’re looking at foreign policy, there’s a great advantage to having a leader who doesn’t get excited.”