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She has an answer for the euro crisis, a name as a steely radical and seven children. The chancellorship could be in her sights It’s a popular parlour game among Berlin’s politicos. With Angela Merkel’s unsteady leadership battered by the euro crisis, the question many Germans are asking is: “Who next?” Two names come up most often: Norbert Röttgen, the thrusting environment minister, with George Clooney hair, graphic designer’s glasses and unflappable demeanour; and Ursula von der Leyen, the ash blonde physician with an answer for everything who combines running Germany’s labour ministry with bringing up seven school-age children. Von der Leyen consistently denies having her eye on the chancellorship, but few believe her. “Merkel’s rival?” is the coverline trailing a story about her in this week’s Focus magazine. And in an interview in last week’s Spiegel, the first question posed to the 52-year-old was: “Frau minister, do you want to bring down the chancellor?” Von der Leyen – whose father, Ernst Albrecht, was prime minister of Lower Saxony – has been touted as a candidate for the chancellery before, most notably when Merkel made her families minister in 2005, just days after she entered the federal parliament for the first time. The speculation became more serious recently when she started talking to the media, not about her ministerial brief of work and pensions, but about how to solve the euro crisis. Worse, in the eyes of her enemies, she didn’t even toe the party line. First she said countries asking for assistance from the euro rescue fund should be made to put up gold or industrial assets as collateral. Then, in Der Spiegel, she announced she wanted to see “a united states of Europe – run along the lines of the federal states of Switzerland, Germany or the USA” which would capitalise on Europe’s size by agreeing on core issues relating to finance, tax and economic politics. Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany’s finance minister, was furious. According to Focus magazine, he said keeping control of the crisis when surrounded by such treacherous colleagues was “like walking with a burning candle through a room of nitroglycerine”. In the debating chamber of the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, on Thursday, an opposition MP expressed sarcastic surprise that Von der Leyen had made time to attend a debate on the budget of her ministry. “How nice you could join us,” said Anette Kramme from the SPD. “We weren’t sure whether you’d come now that you’re so busy with economics rather than pensions and unemployment.” As ever, Von der Leyen was unruffled. She has a reputation for resolve in the face of even the most aggressive opposition, according to Joachim Koschnicke, a researcher at the Berlin-based market researchers Forsa. “There’s no doubt that Von der Leyen is among the most popular politicians in Germany. She is seen as tough, strong, a visionary. People think of her as a reformer who can push through in the face of a lot of resistance, for example how she introduced ‘parents’ money’,” said Koschnicke, referring to Von der Leyen’s long battle to introduce improved maternity and paternity benefits in her quest to encourage more Germans to have babies. Germany’s birth rate, fewer than 8 births per 1,000 people, is the lowest in Germany’s history and reversing it is one of Von der Leyen’s most heartfelt quests. At the heart of the problem, she firmly believes, is that too many German women believe having children and a good career are mutually exclusive. Many voters admired Von der Leyen for combining a high-profile job with a large family, but for others it had the opposite effect, said Koschnicke. “Her having seven children is certainly a source of wonder for some of the electorate – they admire her for making it to the top as a mother. But others see it as a bad thing. They ask themselves what kind of woman could take on such a full-time job away from all her children, and how she can possibly afford it. They know that she can afford it because she is rich and has a nanny. She comes from an elite family – her father was a state prime minister. That does not make them warm to her at all.” Von der Leyen’s husband, Heiko, also a trained doctor, does the lion’s share of the childcare and she believes more men should follow his example. “We need to make it clear that someone isn’t just good at their job because they are available at all hours, but because the quality of their work is high,” she said in a 2005 interview. “In Sweden it’s the case that male board members leave at 4pm to pick up their children from kindergarten. Men are not ashamed to say: ‘I want to be a good father and therefore I am investing this time in my child.’ That’s still a taboo in Germany. Any man who looks after his children is seen as a wuss – and not career compatible. In this respect we are way, way, behind the rest of the world.” Koschnicke believes this sort of revolutionary thinking could cost her the top job. “Having a good public image is not necessarily enough to make her popular within her party. She cannot be a candidate for chancellor unless she can convince her peers, and a lot of them are sceptical about her. For a lot of the old guard in particular, she is perhaps too associated with radical reforms. “When Merkel’s position becomes vacant – and there may not be federal elections until 2013, and she is quite likely to stand again – they are more likely to look for a safe pair of hands. “Remember that she is not the only name you hear in association with the chancellery. For me, the clear frontrunner would be [the defence minister] Thomas de Maizière. He is thought of as completely trustworthy, he is well-known and, importantly, he is seen as devoid of ego. “People believe when he proposes something he is doing it for the country, whereas when Von der Leyen says something, people tend to say: ‘She’s only saying it because she wants to be chancellor.’” Germany Angela Merkel Europe Helen Pidd guardian.co.uk