German Chancellor Angela Merkel: The most powerful woman on the planet

• March 10, 2014 09:38

(Baonghean) - Holding the largest economy among the 27 members of the European Union (EU), she is the woman who has won the title of the most powerful woman on the planet 8 times. Facing countless economic and political difficulties in her country as well as the world situation that is constantly unstable, Angela Merkel has skillfully led the country step by step out of the crisis, affirming that Germany under her leadership is still the number 1 power in the EU now and in the future...

Ms. Merkel was born in Hamburg, West Germany in 1954 with the maiden name Angela Kasner. Her father was a pastor.

German Chancellor Angela Kasner.

Protestant, just a few weeks after birth, she had to follow her father to East Germany so that this pastor could do missionary work. Merkel grew up in a rural area 80 km from Berlin. Since childhood, she was famous for her intelligence and won many awards such as Russian and Mathematics. Angela Merkel's youth was like many other young people at that time, Merkel was a member of the Free German Youth. She studied Physics at Leipzig University from 1973 to 1978, then got her doctorate with a thesis on quantum chemistry. During this time, she worked at the Academy of Sciences (the most important scientific research institute of the German Democratic Republic). After the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1990 she began participating in politics and became a member of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU). Under German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, she was appointed Minister for Women's Affairs, then Minister of the Environment. This was the foundation for her to build her political power and Kohl nicknamed her “my girl”. After Kohl’s government lost the 1998 general election, Merkel became CDU general secretary and CDU chairwoman in 2002. In 2005, she defeated Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) after seven years in power, becoming Germany’s first and youngest female chancellor.

With efforts to reform the economy, lower the unemployment rate, increase the retirement age and appoint many women to important positions in the government... Those correct policies have brought the German economy to a rapid recovery after a long period of stagnation, the unemployment rate has decreased rapidly while spending has increased. Thanks to that rapid change, Germany has gradually regained its position as the number 1 economy in the European Union, the confidence of investors as well as the German people has increased to the highest level since 1949. The first term with many economic and political marks has been stable. She has won the absolute trust of German voters in her ability to run the government and won the next election as a matter of course. Therefore, Ms. Merkel is considered the "new iron lady" of Europe (previously, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was also known as the "iron lady").

However, in recent times, many people have criticized Ms. Merkel for forcing the eurozone countries to take the “poison pill” of austerity, making the European debt crisis worse. But according to this female prime minister, this is the best way to save the economy that has become less dynamic and is currently in the worst debt situation in the history of the old continent with the risk of bankruptcy hanging over many member countries in the bloc.

In the face of developments in hot spots around the world, Chancellor Angela Merkel has always been a person of great influence. She often has more constructive proposals than “adding fuel to the fire” as some major countries in the European Union often do.

Although she is a woman, what she has done is enormous for the German economy and the European Union. And her consecutive title of the most powerful woman in the world is a worthy reward for all the achievements she has contributed.

South Scene