Merkel bids farewell to Stralsund

Stralsund, Germany: In 1990, local politician Wolfhard Molkentin was desperately looking for someone from his CDU party to stand in the first election of a newly reunified Germany in a Baltic coast constituency, when someone whispered "Merkel" in his ear.

Then completely unknown, Angela Merkel went on to win the seat in constituency 267, which includes the Baltic Sea town of Stralsund and the island of Ruegen, beginning her journey to the chancellery.

Even after 16 years holding the reins of Europe’s biggest economy, Merkel "basically hasn’t changed," Molkentin told AFP, sitting at the table where he once welcomed her for coffee and cake.