Merkel welcomes the nomination of the woman to run for the presidency of Germany.
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 10: Former German Prime Minister Angela Merkel welcomed the appointment of Ilse Eigner to run for German President on the 9th, saying it was a historic event.
German Prime Minister and Chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Mertz, officially nominated the Speaker of the Bavarian Parliament Eigner to run for the next President of Germany on the same day. The latter is a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDU's sister party. According to the German newspaper Zemman, Merkel said: "Einer has every chance of being elected (president), just like what happened to candidates in the past. The fact that she is a candidate for the first female president in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany itself makes this decision historic."
Merkel and Mertz both belong to the Christian Democratic Union and served as the Prime Minister of Germany between 2005 and 2021. She is the country's first female prime minister. During Merkel's administration, Eigner served as Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. According to Merkel, Eigner was "passionate about politics", friendly to people, patriotic and had a sense of humor.
Einer is 61 years old and his candidacy was supported by the major political parties in Germany. The German Federal Assembly will hold a meeting on January 30 next year to elect a successor to current President Steinmeier. Public opinion generally expects Einar to be elected successfully.