Angela Merkel (German Politician) Biography

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Real Name	Angela Dorothea Merkel
Nickname	Mutti

College	Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Degree	Doctorate in Physics
Alma Mater	Karl Marx University (now University of Leipzig)
Doctorate Field	Quantum Chemistry

Zodiac Sign/Sun Sign	Cancer
Hometown	Templin, Uckermark district of Brandenburg, Germany
Religion	Protestant Christian (Lutheran)

Marital Status	Married
Husband(s)	Ulrich Merkel (1977–1982) Joachim Sauer (1998–present)
Children	N/A

Father

Horst Kasner

Mother

Herlind Kasner

Siblings

Brother	Marcus Kasner
Sister	Irene Kasner

Political Journey	Merkel stood for election at the 1990 federal election and was elected to the Bundestag. Appointed Secretary-General of the CDU in 1998. Won the CDU nomination as Chancellor in 2005. Assumed office as Chancellor of Germany in 2005. Member of 'Demokratischer Aufbruch' (Democratic Awakening) in 1989. Deputy Government Spokeswoman of the de Maizière Government in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1990. Elected to the German Bundestag in 1990. Federal Minister for Women and Youth (1991-1994). Deputy Chairwoman of the CDU (1991-1998). Chairwoman of the CDU Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (1993-2000). Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (1994-1998). General Secretary of the CDU Germany (1998-2000). Chairwoman of the CDU Germany (2000-2018). Chairwoman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag (2002-2005). Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (2005-2021).
Biggest Rival	Gerhard Schröder

Political Journey

Merkel stood for election at the 1990 federal election and was elected to the Bundestag.
Appointed Secretary-General of the CDU in 1998.
Won the CDU nomination as Chancellor in 2005.
Assumed office as Chancellor of Germany in 2005.
Member of 'Demokratischer Aufbruch' (Democratic Awakening) in 1989.
Deputy Government Spokeswoman of the de Maizière Government in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1990.
Elected to the German Bundestag in 1990.
Federal Minister for Women and Youth (1991-1994).
Deputy Chairwoman of the CDU (1991-1998).
Chairwoman of the CDU Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (1993-2000).
Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (1994-1998).
General Secretary of the CDU Germany (1998-2000).
Chairwoman of the CDU Germany (2000-2018).
Chairwoman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag (2002-2005).
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (2005-2021).

Biggest Rival

Gerhard Schröder

Favorite Food	Mettwurst (minced pork sausage) with green cabbage

1. Angela Merkel does not smoke.
2. Angela Merkel drinks alcohol.
3. Merkel's paternal grandfather had Polish ancestry.
4. Religion has been significant in Merkel's life.
5. She learned to speak Russian fluently during her school days.
6. In 1989, Merkel joined the democracy movement post the Berlin Wall's fall.
7. Merkel divorced her first husband in 1982 but retained his surname.
8. Forbes ranked Merkel as the world's second most powerful person in 2015.
9. Time magazine honored Merkel as the 'Person of the Year' in 2015.
10. She was a member of the communist East German Free German Youth (FDJ).
11. She was the first woman to hold the office of Chancellor of Germany.
12. She was the first Chancellor of reunified Germany to have been raised in the former East Germany.