Time magazine has named German Chancellor Angela Merkel its Person of the Year, citing her strong leadership during several European crises.
Editor Nancy Gibbs said Merkel had provided “steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply”, noting the Chancellor’s strong response to the Syrian refugee crisis, Greek debt and the Paris terror attacks.
Merkel is called “Chancellor of the Free World” on the magazine’s cover.
The first woman to receive the award in nearly 30 years, Merkel is only the fourth female winner since the award’s inception in 1927. The award was known as Man of the Year until 1999.
The last female recipient of the award was opposition leader Corazon C. Aquino of the Philippines in 1986.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State militant group, was Person of the Year runner-up, with Donald Trump third place-getter.
Trump was not particularly gracious in his defeat, tweeting: “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.”
Time Person of the Year 2015
1 Angela Merkel – German chancellor since the 2005 election, leader of the CDU
2 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – head of the Islamic State militant group
3 Donald Trump – businessman seeking Republican nomination as US presidential candidate
4 Black Lives Matter – group campaigning against violence towards black people, predominantly in the US
5 Hassan Rouhani – president of Iran
6 Travis Kalanick – US entrepreneur and founder of Uber
7 Caitlyn Jenner – born Bruce Jenner, 1976 Olympic champion, officially changed name and gender in 2015
