LONGEST CHANCELLOR In this file photo taken on April 18, 2021, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has her eyes briefly closed as she attends a ceremony for Germany’s victims of the Covid-19 pandemic at the Konzerthaus concert hall in Berlin. Merkel is wrapping up a historic 16 years in power with a mixed legacy at home and abroad. In office so long, she was dubbed Germany’s ‘eternal chancellor,’ Merkel, 67, leaves with her popularity so resilient she would likely have won a record fifth term had she sought it. AFP PHOTO
BERLIN, Germany: She was called "the leader of the free world" against authoritarian populists on the march in Europe and the United States, but Angela Merkel is wrapping up a historic 16 years in power with a mixed legacy at home and abroad.