Angela Merkel ruled Germany for 16 years as chancellor, from 2005 to 2021. She was the first woman and the first former East German to hold the office.
- Time in office
- Began: November 22, 2005
- Ended: December 8, 2021
- Length: 16 years (roughly 5860 days, depending on calendar counts)
- Path to the role
- Stepped into leadership of the CDU in opposition in 2001, then led the party to power in 2005 as part of a CDU/CSU and SPD coalition arrangement after the 2005 federal election.
- Significance
- Merkel’s tenure is widely noted for steering Germany through multiple global and European crises (financial crisis, eurozone crisis, refugee crisis, and energy transition debates), as well as for reshaping Germany’s role in Europe and maintaining a steady centrist governance style during turbulent times.
- Notable milestones
- First female chancellor (2005)
- Re-elected in 2009, 2013, and 2018, each time leading coalitions that kept her in office
- Longest-serving postwar German chancellor, surpassed only by the historical record of Helmut Kohl among German chancellors in terms of tenure by the end of her term.
If you’d like, I can tailor a brief timeline with key policy initiatives and international events tied to Merkel’s terms, or compare her 2005–2021 leadership to other long-serving European leaders.