Merkel Urges Germany's First Female President as Berlin's Left Party Weighs Coalition Talks

In an interview with MagentaTV, Angela Merkel put a question to her country that Germany has not yet answered in 77 years: whether it might finally be time for a woman to be head of state. The former chancellor, who was herself Germany's first woman to lead the government, said everyone should ask it. She added that she knows women capable of doing the job, but she would not name any of them.

The timing is practical. The Federal Convention elects Germany's next president on January 30. Frank-Walter Steinmeier cannot seek a third consecutive term. The office is largely ceremonial, but no one has yet been agreed on as his successor, and several women are being discussed.

Ilse Aigner, the speaker of the Bavarian parliament, has the support of Markus Soder, leader of the Christian Social Union. Other names in circulation are Julia Klockner, president of the Bundestag, Education Minister Karin Prien, and former Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. All three belong to Merkel's own party, the center-right Christian Democratic Union.

Merkel was not entirely comfortable with the way the discussion is going. She called the debate "strange" and said it carries an "unpleasant undertone." She also used the interview to challenge her party's direction, arguing that the CDU's identity goes beyond economic policy. In her words, the party was always about building bridges to all parts of society, and that must be brought back to the forefront.

In Berlin, meanwhile, the socialist Left Party was holding a decision of its own. Delegates gathered in the Lichtenberg district under tight security, after calls for protests accusing the party of betraying its voters. Elif Eralp, its candidate for mayor and its parliamentary leader in the city, has been given personal protection.

The party is expected to approve coalition negotiations with the center-left Social Democrats and the Greens. Both of those parties have already backed talks, which could begin on Monday. The Left Party's youth wing opposes the alliance and calls instead for a "strong socialist opposition."

The Left Party won September's election in Berlin with 25.7% of the vote, while the governing coalition of the CDU and SPD lost its majority. If the three parties reach a deal, Eralp could become the city's next governing mayor, and the first from her party.

Elsewhere on Saturday, youth protests took place in cities across Germany. Demonstrators demanded better-funded schools, action on living costs and stronger climate protection, and they oppose a possible return to military conscription. The demonstrations were largely peaceful during the day, but reports turned to violence and rioting in some cities, especially Frankfurt and Cologne, as night fell.

In a lighter item, a railway crossing barrier just 46 centimeters long beside tram tracks in Cologne's Weidenpesch district has become a selfie attraction, and Google Maps lists it as "Germany's smallest barrier." Installed in 2020, it is a placeholder, said Stephan Anemüller of the transport operator KVB. It will be extended once a planned cycle path is built alongside a nearby housing development. KVB plans to seek a place for it in the city museum when it is eventually removed.

The next fixed date is January 30 for the presidential vote. Closer at hand, Monday could bring the start of Berlin's coalition talks, if the Left Party delegates say yes.