German chancellor supports former Chancellor Angela Merkel assuming the presidency in Germany
Chancellor Olaf Scholz believes it’s time for a woman to become president of Germany.
In an interview with German Stern magazine, Scholz said, “I would be happy if we elected a woman to Bellevue Palace in 2027”.
It should be noted that the Bellevue Palace is the official residence of the German president in Berlin.
Since 1949, Germany has had 12 federal presidents, all of them men.
Angela Merkel, who ruled from 2005 until 2021, was the only woman to have served as chancellor since the founding of the German Federal Republic.
Germany’s current president is Frank-Walter Steinmeier, (68), and his second and final term as federal president ends in 2027.
On the other hand, in the Stern interview, Scholz called for a gradual increase in the hourly minimum wage to 15 Euros, saying, “I clearly support increasing the minimum wage to 14 Euros first, and then to 15 Euros in the next step”.
At the same time, Scholz criticized the committee tasked with issuing recommendations on the minimum wage, saying, “Employers insisted on only a limited adjustment,” adding that they had also broken the tradition of consensual decision-making.
The current plan aims to raise the minimum wage from the current 12.41 Euros to 12.82 Euros next year.
