15 Years of Angela Merkel

On October 10, 2005, the results were in: Angela Merkel was to become German Chancellor at the head of a grand coalition of the CDU and SPD parties. Her official appointment followed shortly afterwards, on November 9 and she became the first woman and the first East German to head the federal government.

How popular is Merkel in the present day, and how has this fluctuated during her time in office? In the first poll of the Merkel era, 72 percent of those surveyed were satisfied with her work. Voters were the least satisfied in July 2010, but the figure still remained above 50 percent. The highest level of satisfaction was in July 2014 when the polls hit an incredible 86 percent. The chancellor's popularity has returned to similarly high levels throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with the most recent survey from September showing that 82 percent think the Chancellor is doing a good job.