Merz says next German president 'must be a woman' — report

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken out in favor of having a woman succeed Frank-Walter Steinmeier as Germany's president.

"I will propose a consensus candidate to the party, a candidate from the political center," Merz said at a non-public meeting of local Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chairs in Berlin , participants told the German DPA news agency.

"I am firm in my belief that it must be a woman," he reportedly added.

Germany's federal president is the country's official head of state, as opposed to the chancellor, who is the head of the government.

Current incumbent Steinmeier, a former Social Democrat (SPD) foreign minister, became president in 2017 and his second term will end in March 2027.

Bavarian premier Markus Söder recently proposed Ilse Aigner from his Christian Social Union (CSU) , the CDU's Bavarian sister party.

本文の著作権はDeutsche Welleにあります。