Merkel is a candidate to represent the Christian Democratic Party in the election of the German president

The Christian Democratic Party in the state of Schleswig-Holstein intends to send former German Chancellor Angela Merkel to participate in the Federal Assembly that will elect the next German president next year, according to what several media outlets reported earlier.

The Christian Democratic Party in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had nominated Merkel to participate in the election process in 2022. Tobias Koch, head of the parliamentary bloc of the Christian Democratic Party in the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament, said, justifying the decision at the time: “After the parliamentary bloc of the Christian Democratic Party left the state parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, we - as neighbors - accepted the nomination of Mrs. Merkel with all welcome and with full conviction,” according to what Reported by the German News Agency.

A number of representatives of the Christian Democratic Party are scheduled to participate in the election of the next German president, in addition to Merkel, including German Education Minister Karin Prien, the Prime Minister of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günter, and former handball star Patrick Wencek.

The choice of the successor to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is scheduled to be decided on January 30, 2027. The German states are currently working on naming their representatives in the Federal Assembly, although the ruling coalition in Berlin, composed of the “Christian Alliance” and the “Social Democratic Party,” has not yet agreed on a male or female candidate for the position.

The former Chancellor had recently called for the election of a woman to succeed President Steinmeier. Merkel said in an interview with Magenta TV: “There are 77 years of the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, and no woman has ever held the position of German president,” expressing her regret for that, adding that everyone should ask themselves: “Isn’t the time now for that?”

Today, Monday, Russia resumed its attacks on the Ukrainian Kherson region, after the end of a local truce that was the longest in the war between the two countries since 2022.

It was possible to reach a six-day ceasefire in Oleshki and its surrounding areas, after mediation efforts made by US First Lady Melania Trump, and with the participation of Pope Leo, Pope of the Vatican.

The ceasefire ended at midnight Moscow time (21:00 GMT). There were no immediate indications of a resumption of fighting from either side.

The local authorities said in a statement: “At approximately eight o’clock this morning, the Russian occupiers attacked a car with a drone in the Korabelny neighborhood in the city of Kherson,” adding that a 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man were injured and taken to the hospital, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.

The Russian Ministry of Defense had said, earlier Monday morning, via Telegram, that the Russian army launched an attack on a military facility in the Odessa region of Ukraine, and hit a cargo ship used for military purposes 58 kilometers south of the city of Odessa. Coastal Odessa overlooking the Black Sea.

An official in Odessa said, in a separate post on Telegram, that a Russian attack resulted in four people being injured.