Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has publicly advocated for a female successor to the currently serving Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. His comments were reportedly made on Monday evening during a non-public meeting of the CDU state association chairpersons in Berlin. The CDU plans to address the candidate question in a joint session with the CSU on November 9th. While the CSU reportedly favors the Bavarian State Parliament President Ilse Aigner, a leading preference within the CDU is Ines Claus, the faction head from Hesse. The Federal Assembly is scheduled to convene in late January to elect Steinmeier’s replacement.
Politics
