German Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to nominate Bavarian politician Ilse Aigner as the country's next president. If elected, she would be the first woman to hold the office.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to nominate Bavarian politician Ilse Aigner as Germany's next president, according to multiple news reports. If elected, Aigner would become the first woman to hold the office.
Merz announced his intention to nominate Aigner at a dinner for leaders of his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera. The nomination will officially be announced on Monday, according to POLITICO, citing two senior conservatives with knowledge of the matter.
Aigner, 61, is the president of the Bavarian state parliament and a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the CDU. She previously served as agriculture minister under former Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2008 to 2013.
The German president is elected by the Federal Convention, a body convened solely to choose the country's next head of state. It will decide on January 30 on a successor to President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose second five-year term ends in March 2027.
The governing coalition is made up of the CDU, the CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The SPD has frequently voiced its support for Aigner as president. Bavaria's CSU premier, Markus Söder, suggested Aigner as a candidate back in April. Prominent SPD and Green politicians have also signaled their support for Aigner in recent weeks.
Brandenburg's SPD state premier, Dietmar Woidke, described Aigner as "the perfect candidate" who knows German politics "inside out," he told POLITICO's Berlin Playbook on Friday.
Aigner's election would make her the first woman to serve as Germany's head of state. All twelve heads of state to date have been men. Nor has there ever been a Federal President from the CSU. The German presidency is largely ceremonial, with duties including signing legislation into law and formally appointing ministers, while the president can also act as a neutral arbiter above party politics and as a symbol of national unity.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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