Friedrich Merz argues that Germany's next president should be a woman

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced that he supports electing a woman as Germany’s president in the next election, scheduled for January 30. He made the statement at a closed-door meeting of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the party led by Merz.

“My decision has been made; it must be a woman,” the chancellor reportedly told his colleagues, according to CDU sources. Merz said he would propose a centrist female candidate to the party, without indicating a name for now.

The office of federal president is primarily ceremonial, but it also carries significant moral authority. It is currently held by Social Democrat Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who has been in office since 2017. To date, Germany’s presidency has been held exclusively by men.

The president is elected by the Federal Convention, made up of approximately 1,260 members, including lawmakers from the Bundestag and Bundesrat, as well as representatives of civil society. The CDU is the largest formation in this body and, together with the CSU and SPD, its governing partners, can form a majority.

Several names are circulating within the party, including Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, Education Minister Karin Prien, former Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, and Ines Claus, leader of the CDU parliamentary group in the state of Hesse.