Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl and other political insiders once called her his "girl. But her real moment came in It was actually the CDU's worst election performance in its history and an inauspicious start for Merkel, but she hit the ground running.
The CDU and SPD formed a "grand coalition" government and Merkel became the first woman, first former East German and the first scientist to become chancellor — as well as the youngest person ever to hold the position. Merkel quickly showed prowess. At the G8 summit in , she welcomed the leaders of the eight largest economies to Heiligendamm, on the Baltic Sea. Bush left and Russia's Vladimir Putin right. The growing financial crisis quickly became the European Union's most pressing concern.
The public debt of some European Union member states kept growing, threatening the very existence of the euro as a currency. Merkel's offer to help came with austerity demands. That did not go down well, especially in Greece, where newspapers ran images comparing the moment to Nazi Germany's occupation in World War II.
Merkel is not the best orator. Her speeches are often halting and she rarely goes into depth on policy. Yet her quiet pragmatism and sober modesty have won wide appeal. That has helped her run four governments. At some point in her long tenure, Merkel went from chancellor of the country to mother of the nation. She was sometimes referred to by supporters and opponents alike as "Mutti," a rather old-fashioned word for "mom.
Few of Merkel's statements have had such a lasting impact as the one above. The chancellor won widespread praise in for staying committed to the EU's open-border policy and allowing more than 1 million migrants and refugees, many escaping the Syrian war, to enter Germany and the bloc. A vocal minority, however, pushed back against open migration.
Search Search. Home United States U. Latest show. VOA Africa Listen live. VOA Newscasts Latest program. VOA Newscasts. Previous Next. September 25, AM. Henry Ridgwell. Get Adobe Flash Player. Embed share The code has been copied to your clipboard. The URL has been copied to your clipboard.
No media source currently available. Direct link p What Did Merkel Achieve? The Social Democrats, environmentalist Greens and pro-business Free Democrats opened formal coalition talks following a preliminary deal earlier this month, which set out their priorities but left many open questions. Her likely successor would be Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats, her vice chancellor and finance minister since Handing Merkel her dismissal certificate, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier thanked her for steering the country through difficult times, particularly during her final four-year term.
Merkel last week received a warm farewell from fellow European Union leaders and former U. President Barack Obama. Sections U.
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