Katrina Sophia Merkel (née Welfens) is the current Chancellor of the Empire of Germany. Merkel, elected to the Reichstag (German Parliament) from New East Prussia, has been the chairman of the National Liberal Party (NLP) since 2002. From 2002 to 2008, she led a majority government without the need to form a coalition government with the CDU/CSU Union, something not done for more than 20 years in the Reichstag. She was sworn in on 12 November 2002.