Merkel-Raute

Former Chancellor Angela Merkel showing her trademark gesture at official portrait photograph, 2010
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan using "triangle of power" during the press conference, 2012

The Merkel-Raute (German for "Merkel rhombus"), termed the Merkel diamond, Triangle of Power, or simply, Merkel Hands, by English-speaking media, is a hand gesture made by resting one's hands in front of the abdomen so that the fingertips meet, with the thumbs and index fingers forming a rough quadrangular shape. This signature gesture of Angela Merkel, former Chancellor of Germany, has been described as "probably one of the most recognisable hand gestures in the world".

Asked about how the Merkel-Raute was introduced as her trademark, Merkel stated that "there was always the question, what to do with your arms, and that's how it came about." She chose the gesture without having been assisted by a counsellor because "it contains a certain symmetry".

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