Sometimes Olaf Scholz calls Angela Merkel.

It's not always about the really big things.

It is possible that the Chancellor will find a note in the files on negotiations with the Western Balkan countries that he does not understand.

Then he asks his predecessor.

It has been heard that Merkel appreciates it when the chancellor seeks advice from her.

She recently let it be known that she thinks it's good how Scholz did with his trip to China.

And of course the chancellor talked to her about Russia, back in February, shortly before the attack on Ukraine, when he flew to Moscow to see Putin.

Eckhart Lohse

Head of the parliamentary editorial office in Berlin.

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Markus Wehner

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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December 8 marks the first anniversary of the fulfillment of Olaf Scholz's lifelong dream: being elected Chancellor.

A year in Scholz also means: a year without Merkel.

Many see the chancellor as a kind of recurrence of Merkel, calm, at peace, with a great deal of expertise in all subjects, but with weaknesses when it comes to public appearances and explaining politics.

Is it as Green MP Anton Hofreiter says when he complains about hesitant arms deliveries to Ukraine: "Scholz is very similar to Merkel, that's the problem"?

If you look at life before the chancellorship, two people could hardly be more different.

The East German pastor's daughter only began her political career in her mid-30s, but had already reached the top 15 years later.

In the early years of her political career, Merkel was completely unaware of many aspects of West German politics and her party, the CDU.

Scholz, on the other hand, is 17 years old when he joins the Jusos in Hamburg.

Not good poll numbers for Olaf Scholz

When Merkel begins to be politically active, he is still fighting for "overcoming the capitalist economy".

He had visited the comrades from the SED in the GDR several times, he sees them as allies in the fight against "aggressive-imperialist NATO".

In this early phase, he already learned how cadre politics work.

The non-denominational lawyer was politically active for 46 years before becoming chancellor.

Scholz, confidants say, is glad that he only became chancellor at the age of 63.

This gives him the calm and experience he needs in the office.

He is 20 years older than Finance Minister Christian Lindner and ten years older than Economics Minister Robert Habeck.

He was the only one of the three who had already ruled in the league.

Of the nine ministers in his coalition partners, the Greens and FDP, seven have no government experience at all; only Habeck and FDP Transport Minister Volker Wissing were state ministers.

Three of the Social Democratic federal ministers have never governed either: Nancy Faeser, who heads the interior department, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and Building Minister Klara Geywitz.

When Merkel became chancellor in 2005, only two ministers had not yet ruled.

In some ways, however, Scholz and Merkel are similar: in leadership style, in communication, in dealings.

Like her, he's not a Basta type either.

During the coalition negotiations, he promised his partners that they would not see him humiliate them once a week.

Scholz aims to lead in an integrative manner.

Many traffic light politicians say that he is good at moderating, going from room to room at meetings of the coalition committee, for example, when the three partners deliberate separately in between.