Merkel appointed German chancellor
Angel Merkel today became the first female chancellor of Germany, after being voted in by parliament.
The leader of the Christian Democratic party (CDU) will govern a “grand coalition” with the Social Democratic party (SDP) after receiving 397 votes in the Bundestag this morning.
But 51 members of the coalition were opposed to her taking over the country’s premiership, hinting at future problems for the 51-year-old in her efforts to turn around the nation’s stagnant economy.
Ms Merkel was forced into a coalition with after she failed to win an outright election victory over Gerhard Schroeder two months ago.
She had been widely predicted to win – as shown by Tony Blair’s decision to visit her before Chancellor Shroeder during a recent trip to Germany.
Ms Merkel will visit France and Belgium in her first official foreign trips later this week.
