Merz backs Ilse Aigner for Germany’s next president

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is preparing to nominate Ilse Aigner for the country’s largely ceremonial presidency, a move that could make the Bavarian politician Germany’s first woman head of state. Merz told leaders of his Christian Democratic Union that he intended to put forward Aigner’s name, according to dpa, AFP and Reuters reports cited by DW. The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, are due to consider the nomination formally on Monday.

Representatives of the coalition’s Social Democratic Party and the Greens have already expressed support for her candidacy. Aigner, 61, is a member of the CSU and president of the Bavarian state parliament. She began her political career in local government, entered the federal parliament in 1998 and served as agriculture minister under former Chancellor Angela Merkel.

She returned to Bavarian politics and became speaker of the state parliament in 2018. If confirmed by the Federal Convention on January 30, Aigner would replace Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose term ends early next year. Al Jazeera reported that Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, took office in 2017 and will reach the constitutional limit of two five-year terms in March 2027.

The reports differ in describing the precise timing of his departure, with DW saying he will step down at the end of his current term early next year. The nomination follows months of political hesitation. The CSU had proposed Aigner earlier in the year, but the CDU had held back from endorsing her while Merz considered alternatives.

That delay had strained relations between the two conservative sister parties, according to Al Jazeera. Germany’s president is elected by the Federal Convention, a body convened specifically for that purpose, rather than directly by voters. The officeholder signs legislation into law and formally appoints ministers, but can also act as a neutral figure above party politics and as a symbol of national unity.

Aigner’s nomination comes as the governing coalition seeks agreement on a joint candidate. Her support among coalition partners means she would be expected to be elected if the nomination is formally approved, although the supplied reports describe her election as likely rather than completed. The same weekend roundup also reported other developments involving Germany, including Moscow’s unveiling of a plaque for former East German intelligence chief Markus Wolf, the discovery of what German authorities believe is the body of missing 13-year-old Lisa T.

and a foot-tendon injury suffered by Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Those reports are separate from the presidential nomination but place Merz’s announcement within a broader weekend of political, security and public-affairs news.