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🇩🇪 Germany /Elections & Politics

Söder: Germany's Next President Should Be a Woman

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • Markus Söder said the Union should not reverse its earlier principle of nominating a woman for the German presidency shortly before a decision.
  • He again identified Bavarian state parliament President Ilse Aigner as a potential candidate and said a decision should come soon after elections in eastern Germany.
  • Söder rejected speculation about Friedrich Merz's authority and urged unity ahead of important state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein.

Markus Söder is refusing to back away from his call for a woman to become Germany's next head of state. The CSU leader said the issue had been discussed for more than a year within the CDU and SPD, and warned against abandoning that principle shortly before the decision.

Over a year, the Union, initially the CDU, and also the SPD, discussed intensively that it had to be a woman. Now, shortly before the end, to say that a woman might not be suitable for the office of federal president, I consider extremely problematic.

· Markus SöderSöder argues that the Union should not abandon its earlier commitment to nominate a woman.

“Over a year, the Union, initially the CDU, and also the SPD, discussed intensively that it had to be a woman,” Söder told the Rheinische Post. “Now, shortly before the end, to say that a woman might not be suitable for the office of federal president, I consider extremely problematic.”

Söder again named Ilse Aigner, the president of Bavaria's state parliament, as a possible candidate. He said she would be “an excellent candidate” if she were interested, while stressing that such decisions should be made through serious internal discussions rather than in public. He argued that Aigner's closeness to citizens could help address accusations from radical forces that Berlin and the establishment had become detached from ordinary people.

If Ilse Aigner is interested, she would certainly be an excellent candidate.

· Markus SöderHe names Bavaria's state parliament president as a possible nominee.

The CSU leader called for a decision soon after elections in eastern Germany. He said the Union did not have unlimited time and that candidates for the presidency could not simply be produced at short notice. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has left open whether Steinmeier must be succeeded by a woman, saying the next president's personality mattered more than gender and that the office carried high demands.

The question of gender is less important than the personality of the next head of state.

· Friedrich MerzMerz left open whether Steinmeier's successor must be a woman.

Söder also dismissed speculation about Merz's position in the government and party. He said disputes would hurt the Union and that a government unable to act would have little future. With state elections approaching in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein next year, he called for unity and joint action.

Of course. Everyone knows what is at stake and what the alternatives are. Disputes are harmful.

· Markus SöderSöder rejects speculation that Merz has lost authority in the government and party.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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