Merkel says it is time for Germany's first female president
Speaking on MagentaTV's talk show "Bestbesetzung," the former chancellor backed a woman to succeed President Steinmeier. She named no one; CSU leader Söder has backed Ilse Aigner for months.
Archive image · Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office (Japan) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a woman to become head of state for the first time. "There are 77 years of history of the Federal Republic of Germany, and there has never been a woman as president," she said on Johannes B. Kerner's MagentaTV talk show "Bestbesetzung." People should consider "whether it wouldn't be about time now," she said.
Merkel declined to name any candidates. "I know people who are already born, and they are female, and they could do it," she said. A Federal Convention will choose a successor to Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Jan. 30; his second term ends in March.
CSU leader Markus Söder has backed Bavarian state parliament president Ilse Aigner for months. Media reports say other names in the conservative bloc include Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, Education Minister Karin Prien and former CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.