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
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
BERLIN — When Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany meets President Biden at the Group of 20 summit in Rome this weekend, she won’t come alone: Tagging along will be her likely successor, Olaf Scholz. The buddy act between an outgoing center-right chancellor and an incoming center-left one is striking evenContinue Reading
German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2011 visiting the laboratory for chemical engineering at the chemical plant of the Dow Olefinverbund GmbH in Schkopau, near Merseburg, eastern Germany. AFP | AFP | Getty Images It’s hard to believe now that Germany, Europe’s biggest and most successful economy, was known as theContinue Reading
BERLIN — Angela Merkel will leave office in the coming months with her popularity intact among voters and widely admired beyond Germany as a chancellor who deftly steered her country, and Europe, through numerous crises. Her center-right political bloc, on the other hand, is in shambles. The once-dominant Christian DemocraticContinue Reading
But there is still uncertainty over who will be the next leader of Germany. Both the SPD and the CDU with its coalition partner, the Christian Social Union (CSU), have said they want to begin coalition negotiations to form a new government. The tight result means that two smaller partiesContinue Reading
Olaf Scholz, Finance Minister and SPD candidate for Chancellor after addressing his supporters after German parliament election at the Social Democratic Party, SPD, headquarters in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Michael Sohn/AP hide caption toggle caption Michael Sohn/AP Olaf Scholz, Finance Minister and SPD candidate for Chancellor after addressing hisContinue 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
As Germany heads into an election that will see Angela Merkel step down after 16 years as chancellor, she leaves behind a country profoundly changed — and anxious about changing more. By Katrin Bennhold Photographs by Lena Mucha STUTTGART, Germany — The small silver star at the tip of AleksandarContinue Reading
A photo of Hans-Joachim Bull’s November 1990 picture with Angela Merkel, taken during Merkel’s first campaign stop as a parliamentary candidate. Merkel chatted with Bull (far left, obscured behind another fisherman) and other fishermen in their hut. She asked about their concerns, and Bull and his colleagues told her theyContinue Reading