Five times German chancellor Angela Merkel showed the world that she’s truly a leader

On December 9^th, TIME Magazine named German chancellor Angela Merkel as its ‘Person of the Year 2015’ making her the first woman in three decades to be bestowed with the honour.

Explaining why they thought her fit for the recognition, Time editor Nancy Gibbs in a statement issued on Wednesday said that the worth of leaders are tested only when people don’t want to follow.

“For asking more of her country than most politicians would dare, for standing firm against tyranny as well as expedience and for providing steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply, Angela Merkel is Time’s Person of the Year,” she added.

While we wholeheartedly agree and think that there could not be anyone else who deserved being the TIME Person of the Year 2015 more than Angela Merkel did, we also thought it’s time we highlighted all the times she proved how badass she is and showed world leaders who they should look to for inspiration:

1. When she showed the world that refugees needed to be welcomed: 2015 was the year when the refugee crisis reached its pinnacle and while Europe refused to open its arms or heart to refugees who fled their war-ravaged home, Germany, led by Angela Merkel did. Even though she was criticized for her actions by the people she was governing and her party leaders, she still stuck to her ground and her belief that welcoming refugees is the right thing to do.

2. When she introduced parent benefit to support couples with children: Merkel’s government in 2007 introduced ‘Elterngeld’ or what can be called as parent benefit in a bid to support couples with children. It was Germany’s version of maternity pay, but was applicable to either parent and was aimed at lessening the financial burden on families while simultaneously boosting Germany’s very low birth-rate. The tax-financed scheme allows parents to share up to 14 months off after the birth of a child and gives each up to 67% of their salary during that time.

3. When minimum wage was introduced under her watch: It is Merkel’s credit that a minimum wage has been introduced under her watch after years of campaigning in an effort to lessen social injustice.The €8.50-an-hour (£7-an-hour) rate was introduced on 1 January 2015 and is reportedly going to help tackle growing social divisions and deal with increasing wage inequality.


4. When she refused to be cowed down by Vladimir Putin’s scare tactics: It is a known fact that Angela Merkel is the only Western leader who has any real influence on Russia’s Vladimir Putin, speaking fluent Russian as well. She understands that it is her responsibility to keep communicating with him even though she is no fan of him and refuses to back down even when he uses his scare tactics. (He had let his imposing black dog into a meeting with Merkel a few years ago knowing that Merkel is terrified by dogs. "I understand why he has to do this, to prove he's a man," Merkel said of the incident)

5. When she made a mark for herself as a woman leader in a male-dominated party: Merkel is Germany’s first female political leader and has made a mark for herself in the largely male-dominated Catholic Christian Democratic Union and has not only changed the party but also the German society.

Image credit: Indiatimes