In Germany, a possible successor to President Steinmeier has been named
In Germany, the leadership of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has reached an agreement on a candidate for the post of federal president. It is planned to nominate the president of the Bavarian Parliament, Ilse Aigner, who represents the Christian Social Union (CSU), as the next head of state.
This was reported on November 6 by Der Spiegel, citing sources in the CDU. Information about the agreement within the party leadership was also confirmed by sources from the German news agency dpa.
According to the publication, the conservative bloc CDU/CSU intends to nominate the 61-year-old Aigner to succeed the current President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. However, at the time of publication, there had been no official announcement of the approval of the candidacy.
In recent days, influential CDU representatives, including the premiers of eastern German states, have publicly expressed support for Aigner. Individual politicians from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Greens have also spoken in favor of her candidacy.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has previously said that the next federal president should be a woman. He intends to propose a candidate capable of gaining broad support from political forces already in the first round of voting.
The question of official nomination is expected to be considered at meetings of the CDU presidium and board on Monday, November 9. Before that, Merz planned to hold consultations with the leadership of regional party organizations and representatives of the CSU.
Aigner has headed the Bavarian Parliament since November 2018. She previously served as Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in Angela Merkel's government from 2008 to 2013. After returning to regional politics, she worked as Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs and Deputy Premier of the state.
The election of the new President of Germany is scheduled for January 30, 2027. The head of state is elected by the Federal Convention, which consists of 630 members of the Bundestag and an equal number of representatives of the federal states.
The second five-year term of the incumbent President Frank-Walter Steinmeier ends on March 18, 2027. According to the German Constitution, he is not allowed to run for a third consecutive term.
If elected, Ilse Aigner would become the first woman to hold the office of Federal President of Germany. However, the final decision depends on the vote of the Federal Convention.
Based on materials from: Der Spiegel, Berliner Zeitung, Tagesschau.
