Chancellor Angela Merkel has received an honorary doctorate from the Leipzig Business School. The 65-year-old accepted the award on Saturday at the Leipzig Opera. Merkel was honored for her political leadership style.
For the Chancellor, it is already the 17th honorary doctorate. Among other things, she has honorary doctorates from three Israeli universities, the University of Leipzig and the elite Harvard University in the USA. In addition, Merkel acquired her doctorate in physics in the 1980s.
At the ceremony in Leipzig, Merkel hinted that she could get involved in higher education and science after her term of office. "All universities that have given me an honorary doctorate will hear from me anyway, if I'm not Chancellor anymore," she said.
Merkel has repeatedly announced that she wants to be Chancellor until the end of the legislature, but then seeks no more political office and will no longer run for the Bundestag.
FILIP SINGER / EPA-EFE / REX
Future ECB President Christine Lagarde delivered the eulogy on what she called a "dear friend". Lagarde praised the Chancellor as an "exceptional personality," influencing millions of women worldwide, including herself.
Lagarde praised Merkel's "untiring efforts to bring people together". Cooperation instead of confrontation is always the starting point for Merkel's leadership - especially on the world stage.
Lagarde also praised the care of the Chancellor. She is always the "best prepared person in the room". Merkel methodically and patiently deals with a problem, dissect it into its individual parts and develop a solution step by step.
Merkel received an honorary doctorate as part of the graduation ceremony for 220 students from all over the world. In her thanksgiving she called for compromise. "You want a crystal clear position, but since we are all different from the Lord God and different personalities, we do not wake up in the morning with the same opinion and conviction." But without the compromise, a society can not hold together.
