Most Germans do not want Merkel to return – poll

More than 40% of those polled think the former chancellor was better than her successor Olaf Scholz

Most Germans would oppose a potential comeback of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, a new survey has found. She left her position as head of the nation’s government just under a year ago.

A total of 71% of respondents would not want to see the former leader back in office, whereas 23% would welcome her return, according to data collected by the Civey polling institute on behalf of the Funke Media Group and reported by several German media outlets on Saturday.

However, 43% of Germans believe she was a better chancellor than the current leader, Olaf Scholz. Almost as many people – 41% – hold the opposite view.

Merkel led four successive German governments for 16 years and was just a few days short of beating the record chancellorship tenure of her political mentor, Helmut Kohl. Since leaving office, Merkel has faced criticism that her energy policy made Germany heavily dependent on Russian energy imports.

READ MORE: Merkel explains why she wasn’t surprised by Russia’s offensive in Ukraine

The former chancellor defended her decisions by saying that purchasing Russian gas was the best way towards a green future. Earlier this week, she gave a lengthy interview to Germany’s Der Spiegel weekly, saying the conflict between Moscow and Kiev did not come as a surprise to her as the “the Minsk Agreements were eroded” by then. She also said she had hoped for a new dialogue format for Russia and the EU, but could not push the initiative through.