CRI听力:10 Years of Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel took over Germany's top office from Gerhard Schroeder in 2005. She was the first woman to hold the office as well as the first chancellor to have come from the former communist East Germany. When she took over, Germany was in a very different place. Over 5 million people were out of work and many wondered whether Europe's largest economy was headed in the wrong direction.

However, 10 years later, the unemployment rate is half of what it was, and the country is the unquestioned economic and political leader of the European Union. Over the past two years, Merkel has been Europe's key player in trying to broker peace in Ukraine. She also was a central figure in negotiating a controversial third bailout with the Greek government, which allowed that country to stay in the Eurozone.

But perhaps her signature moment of the past 10 years was opening Germany's borders to all those fleeing Syria who have arrived in Germany seeking asylum. At a recent congress of her center right party, she spoke of the importance of addressing the root causes of migration and working closely with other countries like Turkey.

"Dear friends, in this way, we can reduce the number of asylum seekers. Not by unilaterally imposing an upper limit nationally on the number of refugees. THAT is in everyone's interest."

Not everyone sees it that way though. Merkel's approval ratings have hit their lowest point in four years. And at the same event, on the same stage, the leader of her sister party, Horst Seehofer the Minister President of Bavaria, struck back at Merkel's policies.

"We do not need a welcoming culture, but a culture of reason. And our faith... our Christian faith, is not, dear friends, as opposed to this reason. "No one can be forced to shoulder more than they can carry"

If Merkel can survive the current refugee crisis though, the 61 year old Chancellor remains the favorite to win another term in 2017.

For CRI, I'm Ira Spitzer in Berlin.