The office of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has rejected a report that he favors Ines Claus, the leader of the CDU group in the Hesse state parliament, to become the country's next federal president. According to Tagesspiegel, people close to Merz said he "has neither committed himself nor put forward a proposal." The denial followed a Rheinische Post report, citing senior CDU sources, that named the 49-year-old as Merz's preferred choice to succeed Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Claus, who is also a deputy federal chair of the CDU, responded to the speculation in the Rheinische Post by calling it a "great honor" to be mentioned in connection with the office. She said the process should now follow proper order — within the party, with the state premiers, the CDU and CSU leadership bodies, and with the coalition partner.
Why it matters
The federal president is Germany's head of state. The office is largely ceremonial, but the holder speaks for the country at home and abroad, and the choice is one of the few personnel decisions that requires the governing parties to agree across party lines. The Union, as the largest bloc in the Bundestag, claims the right to propose the next candidate. How Merz handles that claim — and whether he can settle it without a drawn-out public fight — is an early test of his authority over his own party and the coalition.
The vacancy is approaching on a fixed timetable. The Bundesversammlung, the special assembly that elects the president, is due to vote on 30 January 2027. The CDU, CSU and SPD together hold a majority of roughly 50 votes in that body, enough to decide the outcome among themselves. Tagesspiegel reports that the Union nonetheless wants support beyond the governing parties.
A nomination that drew quick pushback
The report about Claus did not land quietly. According to Tagesspiegel, senior CDU politicians told the German Press Agency (dpa) that they viewed the move critically or dismissed it outright. Critics said she lacks a profile in national politics and predicted that a candidacy would fail.
Within the Union's Bundestag group, attention turned instead to Julia Klöckner, the Bundestag president. Tagesspiegel reports that colleagues pointed out that the CDU already has a presiding officer of the parliament who is widely respected across party lines and would also be well suited to the presidency.
The CSU showed little enthusiasm either. Tagesspiegel reports that the mention of Claus was described there as a "trial balloon" whose substance the party did not want to assess.
Union sources quoted by the Rheinische Post gave a warmer view, calling Claus an established, forceful and respected politician and "a nice and friendly person — an ideal solution." That praise sits uneasily beside the skepticism reported from within the CDU's own ranks.
Aigner has backing; Frei keeps the field open
Until now, the only publicly known proposal from the Union camp had come from the CSU: Ilse Aigner, president of the Bavarian state parliament. CSU leader Markus Söder has repeatedly spoken in her favor. SPD Bundestag group leader Matthias Miersch has also backed Aigner, becoming the first senior Social Democrat to do so clearly, according to Tagesspiegel.
Thorsten Frei, who leads the Union's Bundestag group, said he would not commit to Aigner as the Union's candidate. "Thank God we have several women who are very, very well suited to this," he told Welt TV, naming Klöckner, Education Minister Karin Prien and former CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as examples.
Frei said it spoke in favor of a candidate who had been, or still is, a politician and who has a thorough understanding of political processes in Germany. A lawyer was not a requirement, he said. He also called for a prompt decision, arguing that respect for the office means not conducting months of debate over who might be suitable. There was no time pressure, he added, but the question should not drag on.
Merz has not commented publicly on the matter. Tagesspiegel reports that the question is to be settled after his return from Asia. On 9 November, the CDU's leadership bodies are due to take up what the paper calls the "P-question" — the presidential candidacy. Talks with the CSU, the SPD and possibly the Greens are expected to follow, with a decision likely before the end of November.
Watch the CDU leadership meeting on 9 November, which should show whether the party converges on a single name or leaves the field open into the talks with its coalition partners.
