Next German president should be a woman, says Merz
The German chancellor made the remarks as elections to replace president Frank-Walter Steinmeier are set for Jan 30.
Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed a desire for a woman to become the next German president, marking the first time a female figure will hold the largely ceremonial office. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a social democrat, has been in office since 2017 and elections to replace him are scheduled for January 30th.
Merz, who spoke at a closed-door meeting of local CDU officials, stated his preference explicitly: "My mind is made up on one point: it has to be a woman." He did not, however, reveal any specific names of potential candidates during the meeting. The German president is elected by an assembly of approximately 1,260 voters, primarily comprising members of the two houses of parliament, along with representatives from civil society.
Within the CDU, potential candidates for the presidency include Bundestag speaker Julia Kloeckner, education minister Karin Prien, and former defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. The CDU's sister party in Bavaria, the CSU, has already nominated Ilse Aigner, the parliamentary speaker of the southern region, for the position.
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