Changes
/* Policies */
Her East German background has stood her in good stead. For the first 36 years of her life, she honed her skills at covering up or suppressing her feelings—essential in a society where practically every room contained a [[Stasi]] informer, especially if you were a pastor's daughter. Speaking near perfect English and remarking on her background as an Ossi she says, "Anyone who really has something to say doesn't need make-up".
==2005 victoryGerman chancellor==[[File:Angela Merkel.jpg|200px|left]]===2005 election===
Merkel was first elected as chancellor of Germany in 2005. She ruled together with the left-center [[SPD]] until 2009.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/10518099/Germanys-Social-Democrats-vote-to-form-grand-coalition-with-Angela-Merkel.html</ref>
===2009 victoryelection===
[[File:Germ-vote-2009.jpg|300px|thumb|Exit polls from Sept. 2009 election won by the conservative coalition CDU and FDP]]
The September 2009 elections were a major win for the conservative forces led by Chancellor Merkel, breaking a stalemate and opening the way for more conservative economic policies. Previously since an indecisive election in 2005 the center-right [[Christian Democratic Union|Christian Democrats]] formed a "grand coalition" with the center-left Social Democrats, headed by Frank-Walter Steinmeier. 2009 Merkel and her CDU formed a coalition with the liberal [[Free Democratic Party|Free Democrats]]. Left in the cold was the [[Alliance '90/The Greens|Greens]], and the ex-Communists who remain strong under the name "[[The Left]]." Merkel moved forward on tax cuts, reform of the tax code, reduction of bureaucracy and an extension of the time that nuclear power plants can continue to operate.
The victory enhanced her reputation as Europe's top political power broker, as Merkel became the first leader of a major European country to win reelection since the [[Recession of 2008|global financial crisis]] struck last year. Voters generally approved of her response to the recession, even though it has hammered Germany's export-dependent economy and has resulted in a huge amount of public debt. She countered criticism by blaming the crisis on Wall Street, and engaging in a modest stimulus program.<ref>Craig Whitlock, "Germany's Merkel Reelected Easily, Will Form New Coalition," [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/27/AR2009092700631.html?nav=emailpage ''Washington Post'' Sept. 28, 2009]</ref>
===2013 victoryelection===
2013 the CDU was the strongest party again, but its ally the [[Free Democratic Party|FDP]] lost the election and left the parliament.<ref>http://bigstory.ap.org/article/merkel-bidding-3rd-term-german-election</ref> So the CDU created a "grand coalition" with the SPD again.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/11/27/merkel-conservatives-center-left-rivals-reach-deal-to-form-new-german/</ref> The vice chancellor is Sigmar Gabriel, the chairman of the [[SPD]].<ref>http://cnsnews.com/news/article/merkel-backs-plans-stem-energy-cost-rises</ref>
===2017 election===In a campaign described as 'boring' Merkel seems likely to see off saw a challenge by the SPD's left-wing [[Martin Schulz]] - , the former president of the [[European Parliament]]. Merkel is was seen by some commentators to have subtly tacked towards the right on some policies such as migration and [[Turkey]]'s accession to the EU - – two issues she formerly was wholeheartedly in support of.In the election, the right-wing conservative [[Alternative for Germany]] entered the Bundestag after taking a historic third place with nearly 13% of the vote, while Merkel's CDU received its worst result since 1949.<ref>Multiple references:*Tomlinson, Chris (September 25, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/09/25/merkel-scores-pyrrhic-victory-populists-beat-expectations/ Merkel’s Pyrrhic Victory: Worst Party Performance Since 1949 As Populist AfD Beat Expectations]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 25, 2017.*Dettmer, Jamie (September 25, 2017). [https://www.voanews.com/a/germany-elections-afd/4043104.html Germany Shaken by Far-right Political Earthquake]. ''Voice of America''. Retrieved September 25, 2017.*Dettmer, Jamie (September 25, 2017). [https://www.voanews.com/a/merkel-win-seen-as-inevitable/4042028.html Merkel Wins Historic Fourth Term But Far-right Populists Surge]. ''Voice of America''. Retrieved September 25, 2017.*Ridgwell, Henry (September 25, 2017). [https://www.voanews.com/a/germany-far-right-reclaim-country-angela-merkel-coalition-talks/4043603.html German Far-right Pledges to 'Reclaim Country' as Merkel Begins Tough Coalition Talks]. ''Voice of America''. Retrieved September 25, 2017.*Chazan, Guy (September 24, 2017). [https://www.ft.com/content/d18213e0-a105-11e7-b797-b61809486fe2 Nationalist AfD make historic breakthrough in German elections]. ''Financial Times''. Retrieved September 25, 2017.</ref> Despite this, Merkel continued defending her open borders policies.<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/09/25/merkel-defends-open-borders-migrant-policy-election-shock/ Merkel Defends Open Borders Migrant Policy After Election Shock]. ''Breitbart News''. September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.</ref>
===Policies===Merkel supports left-wing [[liberal]] and [[Globalism|globalist]] policies. She allowed her party members a free vote for legalizing same-sex "marriages". In June 2017 the German parliament voted for legalizing them, including some MPs from Merkel's party although she herself voted against it. <ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/angela-merkel-same-sex-marriage-vote-germany-legalisation-lgbt-rights-christian-democrat-man-woman-a7815846.html</ref> Her nation harshly opposes [[homeschooling]]. However Merkel herself voted against the proposal. She supports the socialist and globalist [[European Union]] and open borders. Her left-wing policies contributed significantly to the [[European migrant crisis]].
Merkel fears that the EU has failed to define its common interests "for the (commercial) battles of the future" now Europe's cold war priorities of keeping "peace and freedom" have been achieved. "This is where I think Europe needs to learn a lot, not to concentrate too much on whether bicycle paths are built the same way in Portugal and north-west Germany."
Domestically, Merkel recognises recognizes the need for change in the country's consensual model. "In Germany, we are always facing the danger that we are a little bit too slow. We have to speed up our changes."
Due to Chancellor Angela Merkel's [[open borders]] policies, more than 2.5 million refugees and migrants have flooded into Germany from outside Europe, migrants who do not share a common European heritage with their host country. In 2015 alone, Germany was invaded by nearly one million non-Western immigrants,<ref>[http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/10/europe-immigration-muslim-refugees-portraits/ The New Europeans], Robert Kunzig, ''National Geographic'', October 2016</ref> more than double the size of Germany's standing and reserve military force. Merkel opposed setting an upper limit on the number of refugees Germany would allow in annually.<ref>Delcker, Janosch (October 2, 2017). [http://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-germany-new-refugee-dilemma-bavaria-csu/ Angela Merkel’s new refugee dilemma]. ''Politico''. Retrieved October 3, 2017.</ref> It was reported in August 2017 that since 2015, when the [[European migrant crisis]] was at its height, the German Prosecutor’s Office received over 1,000 criminal complaints accusing Merkel of high treason for her actions regarding refugees and immigration.<ref>Tomlinson, Chris (August 31, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/08/31/german-prosecutors-1000-criminal-complaints-merkel-high-treason/ Prosecutors Have Rejected 1,000 High Treason Charges Against Merkel For Migrant Crisis Since 2015]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved August 31, 2017.</ref>
==See also==
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merkel, Angela}}
[[Category:Current Heads of governmentGovernment]]
[[Category:Christian Democrat Union politicians]]
[[Category:Children of Clergy]]
