Gerhard Schröder’s bizarre appearance in the “Elephant Round”

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“We have to leave the church in the village”: Gerhard Schröder’s rowdy performance on election night

Since 1969, the leading politicians of the parties have met on television after every federal election. The “Elephant Round” 2005 went down in history – thanks to a bizarre performance by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

Actually, one would have expected a humble appearance from Gerhard Schröder. He had just been voted out after seven years as head of government. But the incumbent Chancellor did not appear like a loser when he entered the television studio where the elephant round took place. On the contrary: He blustered as if the real election result had no meaning for him.

Schröder accused the two TV journalists Nikolaus Brender and Hartmann von der Tann of having campaigned against him and refused to acknowledge Angela Merkel’s election victory, albeit a wafer-thin one: “With all due respect to your intellectual problem” – that was his Answer to the question of how he would form a government without a majority.

With regard to Angela Merkel’s possible chancellorship, he said: “We have to leave the church in the village for a while.” The Germans had clearly voted in the candidate question, the election loser told the astonished group and predicted: “I’m holding talks and I’m telling you today that they will be successful.”

It was clear to everyone at that moment that he wasn’t going to be right with this prediction. But the CDU chairwoman Angela Merkel was unable to oppose the blustering Schröder – she was too dismayed by her disappointing election result, which was far below the forecasts. So it was left to the FDP leader Guido Westerwelle to express what many thought: “This is also a difficult hour for you,” he said in the direction of Schröder. “As artificial as you are now celebrating your triumph here, that’s no longer to be taken seriously.” And put it one more: “I don’t know what you did here before the show.”

Gerhard Schröder admits mistakes

In retrospect, Schröder had to admit sheepishly that his performance overshot the mark. “You were a bit rowdy,” his wife said to him after the elephant ride, the former chancellor later admitted. Together they thought about how to better package the rumbling for the public and finally agreed on the term “suboptimal”.

On the other hand, the further career of his opponent Angela Merkel went pretty well. Schröder’s attacks on her resulted in the CDU supporting the ailing party leader and making her chancellor. She reigned unchallenged for 16 years – more than twice as long as her predecessor.