BERLIN — When Angela Merkel became chancellor 16 years ago, George W. Bush was in the White House and Tony Blair was prime minister of Britain. There was no Twitter and no iPhone. Liberal democracy was in seemingly irreversible expansion, with the Orange Revolution having swept Ukraine. On Wednesday, asContinue Reading
BERLIN — In a ceremonial military send-off to mark the end of her 16 years as chancellor, Angela Merkel left Germans with a final message on Thursday: Trust one another. Less than a week before Ms. Merkel will officially hand over power to her successor, Olaf Scholz, she received herContinue Reading
NPR’s Sarah McCammon speaks with author Kati Marton about her biography of Angela Merkel, The Chancellor, and what the politician’s departure means for Germany and the world. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST) SARAH MCCAMMON: It seems as though Angela Merkel has been the leader of Germany forever, and in fact,Continue Reading
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and German Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz attend a cabinet meeting at the German chancellery on August 19, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images A coalition deal has been announced in Germany after almost two months of talks followingContinue Reading
She’ll miss it by less than two weeks: Angela Merkel in all likelihood will not be the longest-serving German chancellor since Otto von Bismarck, the nation’s founding leader. When Helmut Kohl finally gave up the keys to the chancellery in 1998, he had spent 5,870 days in the top job;Continue Reading
People queue in front of a polling station in the Moabit district of Berlin, Germany. German voters are choosing a new parliament in an election that will determine who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel after her 16 years at the helm of Europe’s biggest economy. Michael Probst/AP hide caption toggle captionContinue Reading
A voting booth is decorated with a German national flag. PETER ENDIG | DPA | Getty Images Millions of Germans are heading to the polls on Sunday in an election that will change the face of Germany, and Europe, as Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to leave office after 16 yearsContinue Reading
On Thursday, people in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, pass election posters of chancellor candidates Armin Laschet (from right) of the Christian Democratic Union, Annalena Baerbock of the Greens, Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party and Christian Lindner of the Free Democratic Party. Martin Meissner/AP hide caption toggle caption Martin Meissner/AP OnContinue Reading
Angela Merkel was on the campaign trail on Friday, two days before Germans head to the polls to elect a new parliament and thus her replacement. The 67-year-old is retiring after almost 16 years as German chancellor, but she is still out campaigning for her center-right Christian Democratic Union party.Continue Reading
American voters tend to like change. It’s rare for either major political party to hold the White House for more than two straight terms, and the president’s party often struggles in midterm elections. Politics in Germany — which is voting on Sunday — is different. Many German voters prefer stability.Continue Reading