Merkel

Angela Dorothea Merkel is a German politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021 and led the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 2000 to 2018. Born on 17 July 1954 in Hamburg and raised in East Germany, she studied physics at the University of Leipzig and earned a PhD in quantum chemistry from the University of Halle in 1986. She married fellow scientist Joachim Sauer in 1998. After German reunification, Merkel entered politics, joining the CDU and being elected to the Bundestag in 1990.

In government, Merkel held several ministerial roles, including Minister for Women and Youth (1991–1994) and Minister for the Environment (1994–1998) under Helmut Kohl. She became the CDU’s first female chair in 2000, recognized for a pragmatic, technocratic, consensus-building style. Following the 2005 elections, she formed a grand coalition and became chancellor, a position she maintained through subsequent elections in 2009, 2013 and 2017.

Merkel’s tenure was characterized by careful economic management, crisis leadership during the eurozone and financial crises, and a strong European integration stance. Key policy areas included the Energiewende, Germany’s energy transition, as well as response to the 2015 refugee crisis and ongoing climate and digital policy debates. Her leadership of the CDU and Germany made her a central figure in European and global politics for more than a decade.

She announced she would step down as CDU leader in 2018 and left the chancellorship in December 2021, with Olaf Scholz succeeding her. Merkel remains a prominent voice in public and international affairs.