Germany's first female chancellor, Angela Merkel, has spoken about her rise to the top. She rejected accusations that she ruthlessly pushed aside male rivals as "baseless."
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel has dismissed accusations that she systematically sidelined male rivals during her political career.
The "male-killing Merkel" label emerged in German political commentary during Angela Merkel's rise inside the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU).
It referred to the fact that several powerful male rivals or mentors saw their careers falter while Merkel advanced, including former Chancellor Helmut Kohl. During the CDU donations scandal in 1999, Merkel publicly distanced herself from Kohl in a newspaper article that helped end his dominance over the party.
High-ranking conservative Wolfgang Schäuble, who had been seen as Kohl's heir, saw his position weakened during the same scandal. He would later serve under Merkel as a minister.
