Angela Merkel has been voted in for a third consecutive term as chancellor of Germany.  The results of the election show that Angela Merkel is one of the most popular politicians in Germany. There is even an "Angela Merkel Barbie" that was made for her 50th birthday.  Merkel emerged from September elections with the CDU's biggest vote in 20 years.

Under Merkel's leadership, Germany was one of the few European countries that navigated through the economic depression that has gripped most of Europe.  

Angela Merkel is a woman of many firsts. She was Germany's first woman chancellor. Merkel also was the first East German and the youngest person to lead modern Germany.   

Angela Merkel was sworn in for a third term as Germany's chancellor after getting 462 votes in Germany's lower house, or Bundestag. There were 150 votes against her and nine abstentions. Merkel's is due to be sworn in today.

 Germany's parliament voted for Angela Merkel to serve as the head of a grand coalition government that includes Merkel's conservative bloc, her Christian Democratic Union party and the allied Christian Social Union, and the center-left Social Democrats.

In his congratulatory letter, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso wrote that Merkel's re-election"constitutes both an endorsement of your past efforts and a signal of confidence for the coming years." He went on to say he looked forward to "constructive and fruitful cooperation" with the German government.

Merkel's third term will give Germany leadership at a time when the future of the euro is in doubt. European nations like Greece have been mired in deep recessions and unemployment has soared throughout Europe.