Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her belief that a woman should succeed President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose second five-year term concludes in March 2024, according to reports.
In an interview with MagentaTV aired on Friday, Merkel noted, “In the 77 years of the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, we have never had a woman in the presidential office.”
She urged society to consider whether the time has come for a female president, stating, “Everyone should ask themselves if perhaps the time has come.” Merkel emphasized that she knows women who are born and could take on this role, although she refrained from naming specific candidates.
The next head of state will be elected by the Federal Assembly on January 30, a special constitutional body convened solely for this purpose every five years.
For several months, Markus Söder, the leader of the CSU, the Bavarian ally of the CDU, has been promoting Ilse Aigner, the President of the Bavarian Parliament, as a potential successor to Steinmeier.
Other names being discussed within the conservative bloc include Julia Klöckner, the President of the Bundestag, Karin Prien, the Minister of Education, and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, a former CDU leader.
