German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is considering European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a candidate for German president.
This is reported by the German media outlet Spiegel, citing sources in government circles.
When Merz was recently asked if a woman could become Germanyʼs new president, he replied: "That would be good."
According to Spiegel, the list of female presidential candidates is quite short:
- Julia Kleck — Speaker of the Bundestag;
- Karin Prien — Minister of Education and Family;
- Ilse Aigner — Speaker of the Bavarian Parliament.
According to the publication, there has been recent discussion in government circles that Merz is considering the candidacy of Ursula von der Leyen. If she becomes the new German president, she will lose more than half of her term as head of the European Commission, as she was re-elected in 2024.
According to journalists, the presidency could be attractive to von der Leyen — she would become the first woman in German history to hold this position. Before that, she was the first female defense minister of Germany and the first female head of the European Commission.
The next German presidential election will be held in 2027. The President of Germany is elected by the Federal Assembly for a five-year term.
- Ursula von der Leyen first became President of the European Commission in July 2019. She was re-elected to this position in July 2024.
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