Opposition Figure Could Lead Germany
Angela Merkel has a strong chance to become Germany's first woman chancellor after Schroeder lost a vote of confidence in parliament in a deliberate effort to trigger early elections. The 50-year-old Merkel, who grew up in East Germany and built a career in as a researcher in quantum chemistry before switching to politics after the fall of the Berlin Wall, stumbled once or twice in her address to parliament. But she drew ample applause from conservative supporters. In foreign affairs, many analysts think she'll get along better with the Bush administration than Schroeder did, given her criticism of the chancellor's refusal to support the Iraq war under any circumstances, though she differs with Bush by opposing full European Union membership for Turkey. As East German communism crumbled, she joined a pro-democracy group, Democratic Renewal, in 1989, beginning a rapid rise in politics after a late start at 35 in a country where it's common for ambitious activists to join party youth organizations in their teens or early 20s. She joined the Christian Democrats in August 1990 and was elected to parliament later that year. In 1991, Kohl appointed her minister for women. After the right lost power in 1998 and a slush fund scandal tainted Kohl, she became party chairwoman. But for the 2002 elections, Merkel stepped aside to allow Bavarian governor Edmund Stoiber, the leader of the sister Christian Social Union party, to unsuccessfully challenge Schroeder. This time, the party is putting its stakes on her chances to lead it to victory, a task that Merkel believes she's ready for.
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