In the courtyard of the German Defense Ministry on Thursday, December 2, a farewell ceremony was held for Angela Merkel from the post of Chancellor of Germany, which she held for 16 years.
Because of the pandemic, the number of people present in the courtyard of the Ministry of Defense was minimal - about 200 people.
Fifty-two ministers from all four of Merkel's governments were invited, among others. She thanked everyone for their cooperation, noting that "trust is the most important capital in politics."
The pandemic, she said, had shown this to be particularly true. Merkel criticized conspiracy theorists and urged to trust the scientific facts and separately thanked all those who save the lives of the sick.
The acting chancellor, speaking of her 16 years in office, also mentioned the financial crisis of 2008 and the migration crisis of 2015. These 16 years were filled with many events and challenges that had to be faced "both politically and as a person."
Merkel wished the next government and its leader Olaf Scholz good luck in their work and the ability to find answers to all challenges.
As is customary at such ceremonies, torches were lit.
Merkel, who is now 67, promised that she would no longer run for any political office, but she would have her own office and continue to perform certain representative functions.
It should be noted that Angela Merkel will receive a monthly pension of 15,000 euros.
As a reminder, Merkel had been leading Germany for 16 years, since November 22, 2005, just 11 days less than the record term of Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who held office for 5870 days from 1982 to 1998.
