Missing Merkel already, Germans nervous about what comes next

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends the European People's Party (EPP) meeting in Berlin, Germany, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

BERLIN (Reuters) - Weeks before an era-defining national election, Germans are missing Chancellor Angela Merkel already, praising her calm and stabilising influence as they prepare with a mix of hope and trepidation for life under a new leader for the first time in 16 years.

Four-time chancellor Merkel, who is stepping down after the Sept. 26 ballot, has stood large on the European stage almost since taking office in 2005 - when George W. Bush was U.S. president, Jacques Chirac in the Elysee Palace in Paris and Tony Blair British prime minister.