Saskia Esken, the former leader of the SPD, is advocating for the historic election of a female individual to the position of Federal President. Speaking to the podcast “Amann unframed” by the Funke media group, Esken asserted that until now, gender has been the sole factor considered rather than competence. “It is obvious that until now gender has played the exclusive role, not competence,” Esken stated, adding that it is time to demonstrate that a woman is capable of being the head of state.
When pressed on the argument that competence, not gender, should be the deciding factor, Esken reportedly laughed emphatically, remarking that “very cordially, again and again.” She pointed out that historically, men have been elected to this office for the past 75 years.
Esken expressed skepticism regarding the early suggestion put forward by CSU leader Markus Söder to nominate Ilse Aigner for the position. She wondered if Söder’s proposal might have been partly designed “to prevent a woman.” Aigner is frequently mentioned as a potential successor to Söder.
Esken declined to propose a specific name for the state head election, stressing that the Union party must make such a nomination. “It is simply not my role,” she explained.
The vote for Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s successor is scheduled for January 30th by the Federal Convocation. Any member of the Convocation can submit a written nomination to the President of the Bundestag. The Union party will command the majority of members in the Convocation and could potentially form a majority with the SPD. Although Söder previously introduced the Bavarian State Parliament President Ilse Aigner (CSU) in April, no official nomination has been submitted yet.
