The Chancellor of Germany and Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the Chancellor of Germany and Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Merkel is the first female Chancellor of Germany.
A physical chemist by professional background, Merkel entered politics in the wake of the Revolutions of 1989 and briefly served as the deputy spokesperson for Lothar de Maizière's democratically elected East German government prior to the Reunification of Germany. Following reunification in 1990, she was elected to the Bundestag, where she has represented the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since.
She served as Federal Minister for Women and Youth 1991-1994 and as Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety 1994-1998 in Helmut Kohl's fourth and fifth cabinets. She was Secretary General of the CDU 1998-2000, and was elected chairperson in 2000.
From 2002 to 2005, she was also chair of the CDU/CSU parliamentary coalition. After her election as Chancellor following the 2005 federal election, she led a grand coalition consisting of her own CDU party, its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), until 2009. In the 2009 federal election, the CDU obtained the largest share of the votes, and formed a coalition government with the CSU and the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP).
In 2007, Merkel was President of the European Council and chaired the G8, the second woman (after Margaret Thatcher) to do so. She played a central role in the negotiation of the Treaty of Lisbon and the Berlin Declaration. Merkel is seen as playing a crucial role in managing the financial crisis at the European and international level, and has been referred to as "the decider."
"Health care reform and problems concerning future energy development have been major issues of my tenure. I am glad that organizations such as World League are contributing to the promotion of healthy lifestlye around the globe".
