For German chancellor Angela Merkel, 2016 was another dramatic year that put her centre stage in global affairs and left her facing calls to take over outgoing US President Barack Obama’s mantle as the leader of the western world.

While Ms Merkel dismissed such demands as “absurd”, she has recognised that the populist Donald Trump’s election to the White House has added to her huge responsibilities. Any thought that, after three terms in power, she might retire at 62 has been swept away: she has decided to stand again in next year’s parliamentary elections.

And she has made clear that she has far more than Germany on her mind — pledging to carry on the fight for liberal democracy, free trade and open societies even as rightwing populists are heading in a different direction. This promise alone was enough to make Ms Merkel the FT’s Person of the Year for 2015, a leading contender for this year and will almost certainly put her in the running for 2017.