Ex-chancellor Merkel ‘won’t run’ for German presidency

Former Chancellor Angela Merkel will not run for the German presidency, a spokesman said.

The spokesman rejected Bild newspaper’s reports that the opposition Green Party may nominate Merkel from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) for the 2027 presidential elections.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s second and final term in his largely ceremonial role will end in March 2027.

Speculation has emerged that Merkel, who governed Germany from 2005 to 2021, may attempt to become the country’s first female president.

But Green House leader Britta Hasselmann also downplayed the rumor.

“There is no truth to this,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper.

“We have not discussed or decided anything related to the federal presidential election.”

Other potential candidates for the presidency include Education Minister Karien Prien and Bavarian state parliament speaker Ilse Aigner.

Merkel has largely stayed out of politics since retiring in 2021, but will attend the CDU party conference next week as a guest of honor.