Leaders | From leader to loose end

What should Angela Merkel do in retirement?

Other ex-politicians offer examples of what not to do

BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 19: Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann (not pictured) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel give a joint press conference at the German Chancellery on November 19, 2015 in in Berlin, Germany. Austrian Chancellor Faymann has called for more intensive border checks on migrants in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, as he and Chancellor Merkel also called for an increase in help amongst EU countries for the refugee crisis. (Photo by Zick,Jochen-Pool/Getty Images)

ANGELA MERKEL once said she wanted to leave politics before she became a “half-dead wreck”. On December 8th the 67-year-old German chancellor will make good on her pledge, stepping down after 16 years to make way for a coalition led by Olaf Scholz. Beyond catching up on her sleep, Mrs Merkel has offered few clues as to what she might do next. What inspiration might she draw from other retired leaders?

The chancellor does appear to be finished with politics. Not for her, then, the lure of a job in Brussels, a retirement home for former Benelux prime ministers, or joining the ranks of the greying grandees who wash up at the UN. Nor will she hang around domestic politics like a bad smell, as some former Italian prime ministers seem to.

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