Angela Merkel said she would welcome a woman succeeding German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, highlighting a 77-year absence as Germany prepares to choose its next head of state in 2027.
Merkel made the remarks in a MagentaTV interview with moderator Johannes B. Kerner for “Bestbesetzung.” Deutsche Telekom said the episode was released Oct. 30. Referring to the Federal Republic’s history, Merkel said “there has never been a woman as Federal President.” The English quotation is translated from German.
The 2027 presidential vote is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2027, before Steinmeier’s term ends on Mar. 18, 2027. The Federal Convention, which selects the president, has 1,260 members: all 630 Bundestag members and 630 delegates chosen by state parliaments.
The convention’s vote is secret. A candidate needs an absolute majority in either of the first two ballots; if no one reaches that threshold, a relative majority is enough in the third. Bundestag records list 12 presidents since 1949, all men.
Germany’s Basic Law sets the president’s term at five years and allows one consecutive reelection. Steinmeier was reelected in 2022. The president is the head of state, while the chancellor sets the federal government’s policy guidelines.
Merkel named no potential successor, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported. ARD’s Tagesschau reported Oct. 28 that Chancellor Friedrich Merz had neither decided on nor proposed a candidate. It identified a CDU presidium meeting scheduled for Nov. 9 as an important point for discussions within the CDU-CSU alliance. Tagesschau described the meeting as a discussion milestone, not a formal nomination deadline.
