Angela Merkel will receive the highest national honor despite a criticized record

The former chancellor will receive the Grand Cross of special class when she is criticized for her decision to abandon nuclear power, making her country very dependent on Russian gas.

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Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a banquet in Berlin (Germany), March 29, 2023. (IAN VOGLER / AFP)

A discussed medal for Angela Merkel. The former German Chancellor, in office from 2005 to 2021, is due to receive the country’s highest honor on Monday April 17 despite criticism of her record. Angela Merkel is to receive the Grand Cross of a special class from the hands of the current German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. In post-war German history, only former Chancellors Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl have so far received this distinction.

The 68-year-old former conservative leader, however, has been the target of many criticisms since leaving power in December 2021. In particular: her decision toto abandon nuclear power when Germany finds itself today very dependent on Russian gas. Angela Merkel, who left with popularity at the zenith, also saw her legacy tarnished by the war in Ukraine, on the grounds that she was too accommodating with Vladimir Putin.


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