Rumours about who will run for Germany’s presidency keep returning to the name Karin Prien. The deputy chairwoman of the CDU and a cabinet minister, however, remains tight‑lipped. In the Friday edition of the “Rheinische Post” she said that she carries out her role with great passion and still has many tasks to complete, adding that she always tries to serve her country.

More recently a headline appeared that within CDU circles people were afraid that former Chancellor Angela Merkel might stand for president, supposedly nominated by the Greens. Merkel and the Green Party immediately denied the claim.