It’s been nearly three decades since TIME magazine has named a woman as Person of the Year, but Angela Merkel’s strategic leadership of Germany and the tumultuous economy of the European Union has earned her the title.
Dubbed “Chancellor of The Free World” by the magazine, the selection of Merkel for this year’s award was the culmination of a long career dedicated to leading and serving Germany.
According to Cosmopolitan, TIME Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs further explained the publication’s decision to award the title to Merkel.
“The threat to European peace and security really fell to her. She’s been a very long-serving leader, the longest-serving in the west. She controls the world’s fourth largest economy, but this year she really was tested in how she would respond to some of the most difficult challenges that any leader is facing in the world,” Gibbs said on The Today Show.
Cosmopolitan reports that in addition to her success salvaging the EU’s economy by managing its debt, Merkel’s compassion for refugees has made numerous headlines this year.
It’s disappointing that it took nearly 30 years for TIME to deem the accomplishments of any woman worthy of the title “Person of the Year”, but there’s no doubt that Merkel was worthy of breaking the generation-long streak.