Overview
- CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann said he is open to a non-politician for the presidency and cited Joachim Gauck as the kind of “integrity” he wants to see.
- Linnemann added that he would welcome a woman in the post in 2027.
- Union figures being discussed include Schleswig-Holstein education minister Karin Prien and Bavaria’s state parliament president Ilse Aigner.
- Despite Merkel’s refusal, Greens stalwarts Jürgen Trittin and Renate Künast described her as well qualified, with Künast urging her to help identify a consensus candidate.
- Incumbent Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s second term ends on March 18, 2027, and he is ineligible to run again.