Markus Schreiber Markus Schreiber

GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA Merkel has been named as Forbes’ most powerful woman in the world for the sixth year in a row.

Merkel topped the influential magazine’s table, which weights money, media presence, sphere of influence and impact.

They called Merkel the single world leader able to defy “existential economic and political challenges to the European Union” and praised her for keeping the EU standing.

Her successes on the one hand to convince ailing EU brethren such as Greece and Spain to aspire to German fiscal and legal logic, and on the other hand to persuade Germany’s own constituents and political egos to buy in to her solutions, is illustrated by a European Union that in 2016 remains standing.

Merkel beat Hillary Clinton, who is in second this year. Even becoming the first major party nominee for US President was not enough for Clinton to unseat the German leader.

The top 10 was:

1. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
2. Hillary Clinton, Democratic nominee for US President
3. Janet Yellen, Head of the US Federal Reserve
4. Melinda Gates, Philanthropist
5. Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
6. Christine Lagarde, Head of the IMF
7. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
8. Susan Wojicki, CEO YouTube
9. Meg Whitman, CEO Hewlett-Packard
10. Ana Patricia Botín, Chair Santander Group

There were no Irish entries on the list.

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