NEW YORK (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named Time's Person of the Year, praised Wednesday by the magazine for her leadership on everything from Syrian refugees to the Greek debt crisis.

Time also cited Merkel's strong response to "Vladimir Putin's creeping theft of Ukraine" and on its cover called her "Chancellor of the Free World."

"Not once or twice but three times there has been reason to wonder this year whether Europe could continue to exist, not culturally or geographically but as a historic experiment in ambitious statecraft," Time editor Nancy Gibbs wrote. "You can agree with her or not, but she is not taking the easy road. Leaders are tested only when people don't want to follow. For asking more of her country than most politicians would dare, for standing firm against tyranny as well as expedience and for providing steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply, Angela Merkel is TIME's Person of the Year."

Merkel, 61, is just the fourth woman since 1927 to be chosen and the first since opposition leader Corazon C. Aquino of the Philippines in 1986. She is the first German since Willy Brandt, the West German chancellor named in 1970 for "seeking to bring about a fresh relationship between East and West" during the Cold War. In 1999, Time picked the German-born Albert Einstein as Person of the Century.

Wednesday's news came in as Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert was leading a government press conference in the German capital, while Merkel herself was at an event in Leipzig. When asked about it by The Associated Press, Seibert said he had only just received word on his phone himself.


"I'm sure the chancellor will regard this as an encouragement for her political work, for a good future for Germany as well as for Europe," Seibert said.

Not everyone welcomed Merkel's selection. She has been criticized for demanding unduly harsh terms for Greece as the country struggled to pay its debts and remain on the euro. Maria Dimopoulou, a public sector worker in Greece, said that Merkel "may be woman of the year for Europe and the world in general but for Greece she is disaster of the year and all of the past years."

Another dissenter, for different reasons, was Donald Trump. He was a finalist for Person of the Year and for months has topped Republican polls for the 2016 U.S. presidential election and dominated headlines.

"I told you @TIME Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite," he tweeted soon after Time's announcement. "They picked person who is ruining Germany."

The other candidates for 2015 were Caitlyn Jenner, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the Black Lives Matter protest movement, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/angela-merkel-named-times-person-124821986.html?.gg_invalid=true/

TIME DECLARES ANGELA MERKEL POLITICALLY CORRECT PERSON OF THE YEAR

http://youtu.be/zP3IRxgR9zg/


This ^^^ is my response.
I couldn't of said it better.

they had Hitler and Stalin on their Cover too!

The other candidates for 2015 were

Caitlyn Jenner,

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani,

Black Lives Matter protest movement,

ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

Of course she deserves it.
She just destroyed Europe by letting in the Middle East!!
RIP Europe.......

Congrats to Chancellor Erkel.
She must be so proud, to have been considered alongside
terrorists and a tranny.

You took the words out of my mouth.

The peace prize and most of the other awards offered these days are going to the biggest laughs and losers..... why not give Erkel her shot?

She is the perfect little Nazi after all and they already decimated the Jews, why not give them a few million Muslims to play with?

Donald Trump Solidifies His Lead, but Leaves Many Nervous -

First Draft. Political News, Now. - The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/10/trump-solidifies-his-lead-but-leaves-many-nervous/
-------------------------------------
Last month, Trump slammed Merkel, the German chancellor, for allowing a wave of Syrian refugees into Germany, saying she should "be ashamed of herself." Trump said he had respected her but added, "She blew it, when she allowed this to happen, this migration."

Donald Trump: Angela Merkel, TIME's Person of the Year, 'ruining Germany' - CNNPolitics.com <http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/09/politics/donald-trump-time-magazine-person-of-the-year/
-----------------------------------
CNN.com
Donald Trump: Syrian refugees a 'Trojan horse'
By Tal Kopan, CNN

Updated 12:39 PM ET, Mon November 16, 2015

Trump on Paris attacks: Victims should've had guns 01:00
Story highlights
Trump also said it's time to start surveillance of mosques, and said the U.S. should shut some down if they have radical leaders.
The mogul slammed German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of the most powerful leaders in Europe, saying she "blew it"
Washington (CNN)Donald Trump says he's now more against allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S. than ever, warning it could be a way for terrorists to sneak into the country.

"We have no idea who these people are, we are the worst when it comes to paperwork," Trump said Monday on CNBC. "This could be one of the great Trojan horses."

"We cannot let them into this country, period," Trump said Monday. "Our country has tremendous problems. We can't have another problem."

The mogul also slammed German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of the most powerful leaders in Europe, for allowing refugees into Germany. She has been under pressure to reverse an open-door policy.

Donald Trump: Syrian refugees a 'Trojan horse' - CNNPolitics.com http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/politics/donald-trump-syrian-refugees/
----------------------------------
I told you @TIME Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite They picked person who is ruining Germany
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2015

Others, including New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, praised the magazine for its choice, christening Merkel the "un-Trump."

NBC News http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/un-trump-world-reacts-angela-merkel-time-person-year-n476931/
-------------------------------------------

IMO: The ONLY reason Merkel was chosen, is because of all the comments Donald Trump made (in the past month), as far as Merkel, refugees & Muslims.

I am NOT saying, Donald Trump should of been named. From the list of candidates.. I would NOT of chosen ANY.

Maybe we should have nominated YOU Sassy!!

Merkel rhymes with Ferkel !

Oh for heaven sakes!
The portait of Merkel was painted by George W. Bush!!

And now there is an exibit of them.

We are living in OZ. And Trump & Bush just made Merkel the wicked witch * though I am sure that was not there intent *

Excuse me.. I have to click my ruby slippers 3 times.

.



* Not while I am on a rant *

urkel too...

Great! As Europe, Britain, Belgium and Scandinavia sink in the stone age.