Spiegel: Merz considers Ursula von der Leyen for German presidency
Ursula von der Leyen (Photo: EPA)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz considers the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen as a candidate in the 2027 German presidential election. About reports Spiegel, citing government sources.

When Merz was recently asked whether a woman could become the new president of Germany, he replied: "It would be nice."

According to the publication, the list of presidential candidates is as follows:

← Julia Kleck is the speaker of the Bundestag;

← Karin Prin is the Minister of Family;

← Ilse Aigner is the Speaker of the Bavarian Parliament.

The journalists note that there have been recent discussions in government circles that Merz is considering the candidacy of Ursula von der Leyen.

"If she becomes the new president of Germany, she will lose more than half of her term as head of the European Commission, as she was re-elected in 2024," the publication notes.

Reference
German presidential elections will be held in 2027. The president is elected by the Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) for five years. Currently, the president of Germany is Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He was re-elected for a second term in February 2022.