{
  "id": 17832298,
  "title": "Bundespräsidentenwahl: Merz spricht sich bei Steinmeier-Nachfolge für Frau aus",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/bundesprasidentenwahl-merz-spricht-sich-bei-steinmeier-nachfolge-fur",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-02T17:35:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/bundespraesidentenwahl-merz-spricht-sich-bei-steinmeier-nachfolge-fuer-frau-aus/100266760.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "In a debate surrounding the successor to federal president Frank-Walter-Steinmeier, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has advocated for a female candidate. \"I will propose a common female candidate from the political center,\" he stated at a private CDU district chairpersons' conference in Berlin, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Merz had previously remained silent on the succession debate. This decision marks the first time he has pointed the direction towards a woman. The CSU is pushing for Bavarian Land Tag President Ilse Aigner to become the next federal president and has received support from the SPD and Greens. However, Merz insists that the CDU, as the strongest force in the Bundesversammlung, holds the right to propose. The group will decide on the Steinmeier successor on January 30. Besides Aigner, names of Klöckner, Prien, Kramp-Karrenbauer and Claus are in the running. Men were also in the mix: Hessens Ministerpräsident Boris Rhein, Constitutional Court President Stephan Harbarth and former Federal Constitutional Court President Udo di Fabio. They now seem unlikely to succeed. Both the Union and SPD hold a majority of around 50 votes in the Bundesversammlung. The Union and SPD consist of the 630 Bundestag deputies and equally many state delegates. Merz also intends to involve the Greens in the candidate search. A preliminary decision could be made at the next CDU committee meeting on Monday. Meanwhile, Merz plans to first discuss with CDU state chairpersons and the CSU. The aim is to first reach a joint proposal from the union parties.",
  "summary": "Lange hat der Kanzler in der Debatte über die Nachfolge von Bundespräsident Steinmeier geschwiegen. Jetzt gibt er erstmals eine Richtung vor.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}