Editing Angela Merkel (section)

===Early 2000s===

==== Chairperson of the CDU ====
On 10 April 2000, Merkel was elected to replace Schäuble as Chairperson of the CDU, becoming the first female leader of a German party.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4QnDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT117 |title=Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader|last=Qvortrup|first=Matthew|date=2016|publisher=The Overlook Press|isbn=978-1-4683-1408-3|language=en|archive-date=26 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126210103/https://books.google.com/books?id=G4QnDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT117 |url-status=live}}</ref> Her election surprised many observers, as her personality offered a contrast to the party she had been elected to lead; Merkel is a [[Centrism|centrist]] [[Protestant]] originating from predominantly Protestant northern Germany, while the CDU is a male-dominated, [[social conservative|socially conservative]] party with strongholds in western and southern Germany, and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, has deep Catholic roots.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chase |first=Jefferson |date=4 December 2021 |title=Bavaria's Christian Social Union: What you need to know |url=https://www.dw.com/en/bavarias-christian-social-union-what-you-need-to-know/a-39192183 |access-date=5 June 2023 |website=dw.com |language=en |archive-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605115241/https://www.dw.com/en/bavarias-christian-social-union-what-you-need-to-know/a-39192183 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin in Moscow 2002.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Merkel and Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] in [[Moscow]], 8 February 2002]]

Following Merkel's election as CDU Leader, the CDU did not obtain electoral victories in subsequent state elections. In February 2001, her rival [[Friedrich Merz]] voiced his intention to become [[Gerhard Schröder]]'s main challenger for Chancellorship in the [[2002 German federal election|2002 election]]. Merkel's ambition to become Chancellor was well-known, but she lacked the support of the most influential members within her own party. Rival candidate and leader of the CSU [[Edmund Stoiber]] was much more popular within the party at the time. In a private negotiation that came to be known as the {{ill |Wolfratshausen Breakfast |de |Wolfratshauser Frühstück |lt=Wolfratshausen Breakfast,|v=sup}} Merkel agreed to cede the opportunity to challenge Schröder to Stoiber; in exchange, she was to become leader of the CDU/CSU faction in the Bundestag following the election.<ref>Barry Turner (ed.) ''The Statesman's Yearbook 2015: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World'', Springer 2014 p. 516</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 January 2022 |title=Angela Merkel lässt Edmund Stoiber Kanzlerkandidat werden |url=https://www.swr.de/swr2/wissen/archivradio/angela-merkel-laesst-edmund-stoiber-kanzlerkandidat-werden-100.html |access-date=25 June 2023 |website=swr.online |language=de |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422233615/https://www.swr.de/swr2/wissen/archivradio/angela-merkel-laesst-edmund-stoiber-kanzlerkandidat-werden-100.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 October 2012 |title=Stoiber & Merkel: Das gab es zum Frühstück in Wolfratshausen |url=https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article109416019/Das-gab-es-zum-Fruehstueck-in-Wolfratshausen.html |access-date=25 June 2023 |website=Die Welt |language=de |archive-date=25 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625104811/https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article109416019/Das-gab-es-zum-Fruehstueck-in-Wolfratshausen.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Although pre-election polling had indicated that voters strongly favoured Stoiber, he went on to lose the election by a thin margin. The election campaign was dominated by the [[Iraq War]]. While Chancellor Schröder had made clear he would not join the war in Iraq,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/09/23/germany.0700/ |title=Schroeder wins second term |work=[[CNN]] |date=23 September 2002 |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=23 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323164545/http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/09/23/germany.0700/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Merkel was in support of the war at the time, although she later claimed that she had opposed it.<ref name="dw.com-2016">{{Cite web |date=30 July 2016 |title=Merkel speaks; DW checks the facts |url=https://www.dw.com/en/angela-merkel-spoke-in-berlin-and-dw-checked-the-facts/a-19439266 |access-date=5 June 2023 |website=dw.com |language=en |archive-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605115238/https://www.dw.com/en/angela-merkel-spoke-in-berlin-and-dw-checked-the-facts/a-19439266 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Merkel's Other Legacy |url=https://dgap.org/en/research/publications/merkels-other-legacy |access-date=5 June 2023 |website=dgap.org |archive-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605115240/https://dgap.org/en/research/publications/merkels-other-legacy |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== 2002–2005: Leader of the Opposition ====
After Stoiber's defeat in 2002, in addition to her role as CDU Leader, Merkel became Leader of the Opposition in the [[Bundestag]], as had been agreed upon between her and Stoiber. Friedrich Merz, who had held the post prior to the 2002 election, was eased out to make way for Merkel.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/opposition-meltdown-the-great-disintegration-act-a-324300.html|title=Opposition meltdown: The great disintegration act|work=Der Spiegel|date=22 October 2004|access-date=28 November 2015|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010140141/http://www.spiegel.de/international/opposition-meltdown-the-great-disintegration-act-a-324300.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Merkel supported a substantial [[Agenda 2010|reform agenda]] for Germany's economic and social system and was considered more pro-market than her own party (the CDU). She advocated [[German labour law]] changes, specifically removing barriers to laying off employees and increasing the allowed number of work hours in a week. She argued that existing laws made the country less competitive, because companies could not easily control labour costs when business was slow.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,249207,00.html |title=Merkel fordert längere Arbeitszeit |language=de |newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=18 May 2003 |access-date=27 August 2011 |archive-date=13 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613150234/http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0%2C1518%2C249207%2C00.html |url-status = live}}</ref>

Merkel argued that Germany should phase out [[nuclear power]] less quickly than the Schröder administration had planned.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP_Merkel_Nuclear_phase_out_is_wrong_1006081.html|title=Merkel: Nuclear phase-out is wrong|newspaper=[[World Nuclear News]]|date=10 June 2008|access-date=27 August 2011|archive-date=16 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616040957/http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP_Merkel_Nuclear_phase_out_is_wrong_1006081.html|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-nuclear-phaseout-explained/a-39171204 |date=15 June 2017 |first=Rebecca |last=Staudenmaier |title=Germany's nuclear phase-out explained |work=DW |access-date=27 July 2019 |archive-date=24 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824011914/https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-nuclear-phaseout-explained/a-39171204 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Merkel advocated a strong transatlantic partnership and German-American friendship. In the spring of 2003, defying strong public opposition, Merkel came out in favour of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, describing it as "unavoidable".<ref name="dw.com-2016" /> She also criticised the government's support for the [[accession of Turkey to the European Union]], instead arguing in favour of a "[[European Union Association Agreement|privileged partnership]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Merkel Calls For Petition Against Turkish Membership |url=https://www.dw.com/en/merkel-calls-for-petition-against-turkish-membership/a-1356052 |access-date=26 June 2023 |website=dw.com |archive-date=27 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127013235/https://www.dw.com/en/merkel-calls-for-petition-against-turkish-membership/a-1356052 |url-status=live}}</ref>