Merkel has mastered the German political system and establishes a one of the most powerful liberal market-economies. In her style of government she has demonstrated her willingness and pragmatism.
Honors and Awards: In 2008 Merkel received the Charlemagne Prize “for her work to reform the European Union”. Merkel topped Forbes magazine's list of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" 10 times as No. 1. Forbes also has named her the second most powerful person in the world as of 2012. (#1 Barack Abama ). She received Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (2013). In December 2015, Merkel was named Person of the Year (by Time). In May 2016, Merkel was again named the most powerful woman in the world (by Forbes).
She worked and studied at the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin-Adlershof from 1978 to 1990. After being awarded a doctorate in 1986 for her thesis on quantum chemistry she worked as a researcher.
In 1989, Merkel got involved in the growing democracy movement after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1990 she joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and in this year was elected to parliament. Her first mentor in politics was Lothar de Maizière, who headed the East German branch of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
From 1991 – 1994 she was Federal Minister for Women and Youth and from 1994 – 1998 - Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. From 1998 – 2000 she was the General Secretary of the CDU Germany. She was a protégé of Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who was heralded as the architect of reunification. But in 1999 after a finance scandal in CDU, Merkel distanced herself from Kohl and was named party leader in 2000.
Since 2000 she was the Chairwoman of the CDU Germany and Chairman of the CDU-CSU (Christian Social Union) parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.
In the 2005 elections, she led the CDU and its sister party, the Christian Social Union, to a narrow victory over the Social Democrats. On Nov. 22, 2005, she became the first woman Chancellor of Germany.
In 2007, Merkel was also President of the European Council and chaired the G8, the second woman to chair the G8, after Margaret Thatcher.
in 2009 CDU was re-elected with an increased number of seats and could form a governing coalition with the FDP.
In the election of 2013 the CDU/CSU parties emerged as winners and Merkel was sworn in for a third term in December 2013.
On 26 March 2014, Merkel became the longest-serving incumbent head of government in the European Union.
Due to her open-door immigration policy, Merkel's approval rating dropped to 47% (August 2016).
On 24 September 2017 German Federal elections the CDU/CSU led by Angela Merkel, won 33% of the vote and she secured a fourth term.
Angela Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany since 22 November 2005 and chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 10 April 2000. Merkel is currently the senior G7 leader.
In 1977, Angela Kasner married physics student Ulrich Merkel. They divorced in 1982. Her second and current husband is Joachim Sauer - a quantum chemist and professor. They married privately on 30 December 1998
She Is fluent in Russian and English. As a youth, Merkel was nicknamed “Kasi”. She is a football (soccer) enthusiast. She is indeed "a quarter Polish". Her grandfather was Ludwig Kazmierczak, police officer.