Original: Merkel, elected to the Bundestag (German Parliament) from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 10 April 2000, and Chairman of the CDU-CSU (Christian Social Union) parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.
Simplified: Dr. Angela Dorothea Merkel (born 17 July 1954, in Hamburg) is a German politician, and the Chancellor of Germany since 22 November 2005.