Within the SPD’s leadership there are reservations about a possible candidacy for the office of Federal President from Family Minister Karin Prien of the CDU.
Deputy SPD chair Serpil Midyatli told “Tagesspiegel” that while she believes it is long overdue for a woman to hold this high office, she does not see Prien as a suitable person for the role. “I find her style of politics rather divisive” Midyatli said, adding that in the current climate the country needs steadiness and guidance that can bring society together.
Deputy chair Achim Post said he was “firmly convinced that the coalition will present a jointly backed, broadly supported proposal to succeed the highly respected incumbent President”. He added that he would personally welcome the election of a woman to the nation’s highest office, calling it “more than appropriate”.
Meanwhile, SPD member of parliament Ralf Stegner spoke to “Tagesspiegel” about Prien’s push to end the married‑couples income‑tax split. He observed that if the education minister could really enforce this position within her own party, it would surely signal broader political prospects for Karin Prien.
