![]() ![]() ![]() Named the most powerful woman in the world several times over, Merkel also played a crucial role on the international stage, helping to manage the global financial crisis, the refugee crisis, and the war in Ukraine.Īs Germany prepares to go to the polls this weekend to elect a new government, and by extension her successor, it is not clear whether any of those lining up to replace her - Armin Laschet of Merkel's own CDU, the center-left Socialist Party (SPD)'s Olaf Scholz, or the Greens' Annalena Baerbock - will be able to fill her shoes.īollmann says the world will sorely miss Merkel's steady leadership: "I think there is one common thing in Germany and abroad: She is seen as a guarantor of stability. Two decades on, she has cemented her position as an elder stateswoman, having led her nation - indeed some would argue Europe as a whole - through a series of potentially devastating crises. Chatting afterwards, many of the (mostly male) journalists present agreed: This woman would never be chancellor.īut what did they know? Merkel went on to secure four terms in office, making her one of the longest-serving chancellors in German history - only Kohl, the mentor she eventually turned her back on, has served longer in the modern era. Uneasy in front of the bright lights and cameras of the press pack, she seemed not to know where to look or what to do with her hands, and gave flat, boring answers to reporters' questions. The media only added to this sense that Merkel was not a serious political contender.Īt one of her earliest media appearances as the new leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Berlin in 2001, Merkel appeared out of her depth. "She always was underestimated by her enemies and by other politicians, and when they realized that a woman from the east is able to play this power game, it was too late," Ralph Bollmann, author of the authoritative Merkel biography "Angela Merkel: The Chancellor and Her Time," told CNN. The protégé of then-Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Merkel was known by him as "mein Maedel" - "my girl." It's difficult to imagine today, as Germany's widely respected Chancellor prepares to step down after more than 15 years in the top job, but in the early stages of her career, Merkel was regularly belittled and looked down on - even by those who were supposedly on her side. (CNN) - Angela Merkel has been written off many times in her career - by the politician's rivals, her own party members, and, yes, the press. ![]()
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