Schäuble Would Run for President -- If Asked

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician Wolfgang Schäuble has said he is prepared to run for the German presidency and succeed Johannes Rau, the current president. In an interview with the newsmagazine Stern, Schäuble, who has been confined to a wheelchair since a knife attack in 1990, would not directly say he was going to run, but would not rule it out when asked. He said a discussion over a possible candidacy had not yet taken place among the CDU leadership. However, he told interviewers he was "as healthy as any 61-year-old can be" and that "there aren't that many prejudices left in this country against people in wheelchairs." The former interior minister and party chairman is considered a favorite of the Union parties for the post. Johannes Rau, who has been federal president since 1999, has announced he will not run again for the office. A new president will be chosen in May 2004 by a special federal body in which the Union parties along with the Free Democrats hold a majority.