Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel advocated on Friday for a woman to take on the role of head of state, after current President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's second five-year term expires in March next year.
Merkel made the statement in an interview for MagentaTV, in the programme Bestbesetzung, where she said that everyone should ask themselves whether the time has finally come for this. She emphasised that in 77 years of the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, they have never had a female president.
The former chancellor, who comes from the ranks of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), added that she knows women who could hold the office, but did not wish to reveal exactly who she has in mind.
The new German president will be elected on 30 January by the Federal Assembly, a special constitutional body that is convened every five years exclusively for the election of the head of state.
A debate over possible candidates has been ongoing for some time within the conservative bloc. Markus Söder, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the CDU, has been advocating for months that Steinmeier be succeeded by Ilse Aigner, president of the Bavarian parliament.
Among other names mentioned within the conservative bloc are Bundestag president Julia Klöckner, education minister Karin Prien and former CDU president Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
