Angela Dorothea Merkel (German: [aŋˈɡeːla doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛʁkl� ] (  listen);[1] née Kasner; born 17 July 1954) is a German politician and former research scientist who has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005, and

the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 2000. She is the first woman to hold either office.[2]