Some observers wonder if those southern eurozone countries that were helped by Mr. Draghi’s activist policies would support Mr. Weidmann’s candidacy. “There will be a discussion that Weidmann represents a very hawkish view and one that would not be to the best interest of the southern economies,” said George Pagoulatos, a professor of European Politics at the Athens University of Economics and Business.
However, Mr. Weidmann could adjust his policy preferences as the head of the ECB. “The fact that he’s German could give him more elbow space to apply policies that are more beneficial to the eurozone at large,” said Mr. Pagoulatos.