“Iron Lady”, Madam “no” or simply “mommy” – these were the nicknames Angela Merkel received from the German people. The chancellor served in her post for 16 years and is now retiring.
According to RIA Novosti, the “Big Night Dawn” ceremony was held on December 2. It is a traditional send-off event for Germany’s most important political figures. The celebration dates back to the sixteenth century.
The ceremony was held in a somewhat truncated format. Because of the coronavirus restrictions only two hundred people came, but the main component of the farewell – a military march to the music chosen by the hero of the occasion – still took place.
Angela Merkel’s playlist made a great impression. The first song was the Christian hymn “God We Praise Thee”. The second song chosen by the Chancellor was the romantic ballad “It Should Rain Red Roses For Me”. The third was the mock hit “You Forgot the Color Tape” by Nina Hager, who is considered the godmother of German punk rock.
“This song was a vivid moment of my youth, which is known to have taken place in the GDR, and the song is from the GDR. Coincidentally, the song takes place in a region that was my constituency (the song mentions the island of Hiddensee in the north of the federal province of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where Merkel’s constituency was located). In this sense everything fits perfectly” – RIA Novosti transmits the words Merkel from the press conference on the results of the meeting with the heads of regions of Germany on coronavirus.
In the 16 years of Angel’s reign, Merkel has left a significant mark in history. It was she who became the key figure in the Greek question (the Chancellor made every effort to keep Greece in the EU after the Athenian default). The Iron Lady is at the heart of migration policy.
There can be different attitudes toward Angela Merkel. Some will criticize her, others will praise her, but nevertheless, with the departure of the chancellor an entire era is over in Germany.
On December 8, Mrs. “no” will resign and become a private person. The next German chancellor will be the representative of the Social Democrats, Olaf Scholz.
