September 24, 2013

German Chancellor Angela Merkel triumphed in Germany’s parliamentary elections on September 22. Her Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union, took 41.5 percent of the vote, which political analysts describe as a personal victory for Merkel. German newspaper columnist Heribert Prantl wrote, “Her election victory was not just a victory, but a triumph.” He lamented the lack of a feminine form of “triumphator” in German, declaring that Merkel deserved the accolade. The final results gave Merkel’s coalition 311 seats, just 5 seats short of an absolute majority.

Angela Merkel, Germany's first woman chancellor, won a resounding victory in the 2013 federal elections. (© Sean Gallup, Getty Images)

Her party’s campaign concentrated almost solely on Merkel’s solid leadership during the eurozone credit crisis. International affairs experts describe Merkel as Europe’s one indispensable leader and give her credit for holding the eurozone together in times of economic turmoil. She is only the third German chancellor–after Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl–to be elected to a third term.

Additional World Book articles:

• Germany 2012 (a Back in Time article)
• European Union: The Euro (a special report)
• Crisis in the Eurozone (a special report)
• Eurozone Crisis: No End in Sight (a special report)