What will a female president mean for Germany and Europe?

A rare outbreak of cross-party unity has interrupted months of infighting surrounding Friedrich Merz’s embattled coalition in Berlin. His nomination of Ilse Aigner — a respected conservative from Bavaria — has united his own party and received support from the Social Democrats and the Greens. She is all but certain to become the country’s first female president in January.

A largely ceremonial role, the presidency of the Federal Republic represents the country abroad. The significance of a woman taking the highest office in the land has not gone unnoticed in other European capitals. In Berlin this week, Anne McElvoy talks to Gordon Repinski, chief political analyst for POLITICO, WELT and Business Insider. He’s been following the rise of Isle Aigner closely.

Berlin Freedom Week makes the connection between the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and geopolitics today. As part of this week’s events, Anne attended the Freedom and Security Women Summit in the Bundestag, where she chaired panels of brave women who’ve been challenging autocratic regimes on Europe’s borders and beyond — and are calling on the EU to support their cause. Among them is Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader, who has been forced to carry on her fight in Lithuania — despite defeating President Alexander Lukashenko in the country’s election six years ago. Anne also speaks with Hannah Neumann, a prominent Green MEP and campaigner for women’s rights, who supports Ilse Aigner’s nomination.

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