Green Party politician Omid Nouripour has voiced concern about reports that Ines Claus, head of the CDU parliamentary group in Hesse, is being considered to succeed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Germany needs a candidate who can unite the country and win broad support, he told ARD’s parliamentary studio and the German Press Agency during Steinmeier’s state visit to China.
Nouripour said he expected the candidate to be someone lawmakers from across the democratic center could support. He suggested that Ilse Aigner could fit that description. Nouripour, a vice president of the Bundestag and a native of Hesse, is accompanying Steinmeier on the China trip.
The Rheinische Post reported, citing senior CDU sources, that Claus was Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s preferred candidate for the largely ceremonial office. The chancellor’s circle firmly denied the report. Claus herself has expressed interest in becoming president, while the CSU is backing Aigner.
The new president is due to be elected on January 30. Steinmeier cannot seek another term after serving two, and no woman has yet held Germany’s presidency.
Sources: Handelsblatt.