By John Ikani
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has turned down the offer of a job at the United Nations, her office said on Wednesday, a month after she stepped down as Europe’s most powerful politician after 16 years at the helm.
UN sources confirmed that Secretary General Antonio Guterres had asked Merkel to lead an Advisory Panel on a “common agenda” for governance after the pandemic that he set out late last year.
Merkel, 67, called the UN boss to thank him for the job he had offered her in a letter and to tell him she would not accept it, the office said, without elaborating.
Merkel, a conservative, has stayed out of the political spotlight since handing over Germany’s chancellorship to Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat.
After serving as an MP for 30 years, Merkel still has an office provided by the Bundestag.
Despite feverish speculation as to what she might do next, Merkel remained tight-lipped, hinting only at a quiet life of books and sleep.
However, her long-time aide, Beate Baumann revealed last month that they were collaborating on Merkel’s political memoirs, a project she said would take two to three years.
