The Association of Social Democratic Women in the SPD has called for a woman to succeed Frank‑Walter Steinmeier as Germany’s next president.
“It is finally time for a woman in the highest state office” said Carmen Wegge, chair of the SPD Women, in an interview with the Funke media group’s Friday newspapers. “After twelve men have held the office of president, a woman taking over would send a powerful message that equality is not just an aim but a lived reality”. Wegge went on to say that there are many excellent women who would be suitable for the position, but she did not name any candidates.
The Greens echo the sentiment. Fraktionsführerin Britta Haesselmann told the Funke papers that, while the party has not yet discussed Steinmeier’s succession, she has long believed that the time is right for a woman to become president.
