German Chancellor Merkel is one of the outstanding leaders of our era. She leads the world’s fourth largest economy, which is still the locomotive for Europe. Recent state elections and polls leave little doubt that barring some kind of shock; she will be re-elected as Chancellor in September. It will be her fourth term.  

Macron is the youngest president in modern French history and has not held a public office until now. He is his the fourth French president during Merkel’s tenure.  When Macron was born (1977), Angela Kasner married a physics student, Ulrich Merkel. They were divorced in 1982 as Macron was getting ready to go to attend school.

Chancellor Merkel was raised in East Germany, though born in the West. When able to, she joined Germany’s center-right party, the Christian Democrat Union (CDU). Macron comes out France’s Socialist Party and was Economics Minister under Hollande, before breaking away to form his own party.  Among his first acts as President, Macron named the Republican mayor and member of parliament, Philippe as Prime Minister. Reaching across to a Republican is a bold move, and suggests a dramatic change in the political landscape in France.  

Hollande’s ineffective presidency did the Socialist Party much harm, and Macron’s departure split the party.  A political realignment cannot be limited to the center-left but has to involve the center-right.  Next month’s parliamentary election will be the first test if Macron has been successful in re-orienting French politics. The appointment of Philippe was not just a cynical move of electoral posturing, but also seems to reflect Macron who was part of what might be considered the business-wing of the Socialists or the realos faction, which is more interested in shaping France than adhering to an old dogma.  

Macron’s agenda appears two-fold. The first is political reforms to raise the bar of ethics. He wants to ban the hiring of family members by government officials.This was Fillon’s downfall. Fillon was the odds on favorite but was snared in a scandal of hiring family members from which he could not extricate himself.