The first female Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel was born on 17 July 1954, Hamburg, Germany. A great leader of a major continental European power, Merkel has helped Germany become the fourth largest economy in the world. Germany's growth and rise has been phenomenal and she had a significant role in jumpstarting Europe's economy which was in a slump when she took control in 2005. She has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000 and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU (2002-2005). Merkel, born in Hamburg in 1954 has featured in Time's 100 most influential people in the world.

In the elections of 27 September 2009, the CDU, the party she belongs to obtained the largest share of the votes and formed a coalition with the Christian Social Union and the Free Democratic Party. In 2007, Merkel was elected as President of the European Council and chaired the G8. In the negotiations of the Treaty of Lisbon and Berlin Declaration, she played a very crucial role. She is also the second woman in history to chair the G8, after Margaret Thatcher.

Angela Merkel's rise to power has not been an easy one. She won the CDU/CSU nomination as a challenger to Chancellor Schroder of the SPD in the 2005 national elections. Her personal popularity remained behind Schroder and neither party won enough seats to hold a majority in the Bundestag. After weeks of negotiations, it was agreed upon that Merkel will become Chancellor and the SPD would hold 8 of the 16 seats in the cabinet. On November 22, 2005 she assumed the office of German Chancellor after a stalemate election which resulted in a grand coalition with the SPD. In the year 2009, she was re-elected with a larger majority and formed a governing coalition with the FDP.

Merkel has been awarded the Vision for Europe Award (2006) for her remarkable contribution towards European integration. She has also repeatedly appeared in Forbes’ most powerful women list. Her political career has been an inspiring one and she has used her exceptional skills to foster growth and steer Europe through the financial crisis. She is the force behind Germany growing as an economic power and her tireless efforts and her desire for openness has made her one of the most powerful political leader in the world today.

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