Angela Merkel is stepping down after about 16 years in power. During this period he made decisions that had an impact on the lives of every German and many others besides Germany.
On Sunday, the Germans are called to the polls, a process that will mark the end of the Merkel era.
Angela Merkel: The key dates in the chancellery
Here are some of her highlights as chancellor, as broadcast by the German News Agency and the Athens News Agency:
November 22, 2005 : Merkel is the first woman to be elected chancellor. He leads a coalition of conservatives and social democrats.
March 2007 : Merkel achieves a major legislative victory as parliament agrees to gradually increase the retirement age from 65 to 67.
June 6-8, 2007 : Merkel hosts the first G8 summit, with Africa and climate change dominating the agenda.
October 5, 2008 : Merkel promises the Germans that their savings are safe three weeks after the collapse of the Lehman Brothers and the outbreak of the financial crisis.
March 5, 2010: Merkel says there is “no alternative” to helping Greece avoid a backlog of payments, putting Europe's largest economy completely behind hundreds of billions of euros in financial aid efforts.
July 2011 : Almost a year after the Merkel government backed the measure, Germany abolished conscription and military service.
March 14, 2011 : In response to Merkel's decision to take action against nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, parliament votes to end nuclear power generation by 2022.
June 7, 2011 : US President Barack Obama awards Merkel the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
October 24, 2013 : “Spying on friends is completely unacceptable,” Merkel said after revelations that the US NSA had access to her cell phone.
May 25, 2014 : The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) enters the European Parliament for the first time, soon gaining representation in all 16 German L καιnder and the national parliament.
February 12, 2015 : In Minsk, Merkel and the leaders of France, Ukraine and Russia agree on a ceasefire and a roadmap for peace. An unstable truce is still in place, but it is lifted regularly.
August 31, 2015 : Merkel says “we can handle it” regarding the influx of refugees from the Middle East . Keeping Germany's borders open when the refugee crisis in Europe began was one of its defining moments.
December 19, 2016 : An Islamist car bombs a truck leading to a busy Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, killing 12 people. It was the worst of a series of Islamist attacks.
March 17, 2017 : A handshake that did not take place was a bad start to Merkel's visit to the White House during the presidency of Donald Trump. Germany's ties with the United States continue to be rigid throughout Trump's presidency.
June 30, 2017 : The German parliament approves same-sex marriage and adoptions by same-sex couples. Merkel is voting against the bill, but allows her party members to vote freely.
October 29, 2018 : As her government and her Christian Democrats (CDU) party come under increasing pressure from other political parties, Merkel announces that she will step down from the CDU leadership, but will remain in office until the end of her term.
March 18, 2020 : In a televised speech, Merkel urges the world to take seriously the pandemic of the new coronavirus. Germany has since faced three major waves of COVID-19 and has implemented many lockdowns.
July 16, 2021 : Merkel states that sudden floods in West Germany caused an “unreal, eerie situation” during her visit to the worst-hit areas. Floods are becoming a central issue in elections.
August 15, 2021 : The occupation of Kabul and the re-emergence of the Taliban in power in Afghanistan calls into question international efforts over a 20-year period to support the government there. Merkel Foreign Minister Haiko Maas has been widely criticized.
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