Merz: Germany's Next President Must Be a Woman; He Will Nominate a Joint Candidate From the Political Centre
Berlin — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told a closed meeting of CDU district chairpersons on November 2 that Germany's next federal president must be a woman and that he would nominate a joint candidate from the political centre. According to several participants who briefed the media, Merz said the nominee this time must be a woman: "I have made up my mind on this point."
Incumbent President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's second five-year term ends on March 18, 2027, and the Federal Convention is scheduled to elect his successor on January 30, 2027. In the 77 years since the Federal Republic was founded, all 12 of its presidents have been men. The CDU leadership is expected to take a first decision on its nominee on November 9; so far only the Greens have publicly said they want a woman to be nominated.
The CDU's Bavarian sister party, the CSU, has put forward Ilse Aigner, president of the Bavarian state parliament. Names circulating inside the CDU include Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, Education Minister Karin Prien and former party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. A Forsa poll published on November 3 found that 50 percent of Germans consider former Chancellor Angela Merkel a suitable candidate for the presidency, putting her first; Merkel's office said back in February that speculation about a possible candidacy was far-fetched.
(Source: dpa)
Source: dpa
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：德国总理默茨。照片为公共领域，白宫提供，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Public domain, by the White House, via Wikimedia Commons.
