Germany’s Federal Convention will elect Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s successor on Jan. 30, 2027, as the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union vie to shape their bloc’s choice.
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner set the date for the 18th Federal Convention, which will meet at the Reichstag in Berlin. The body will include 630 Bundestag members and an equal number of delegates selected by state parliaments. Steinmeier’s term ends March 18, 2027.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s camp has argued that the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the convention’s largest party, should put forward the conservative bloc’s candidate. Reuters reported, citing people close to Merz, that he has made neither a decision nor a proposal. The Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, is backing Ilse Aigner, who leads Bavaria’s state parliament.
CSU leader Markus Söder has publicly backed Aigner. DW quoted Söder as saying, “It would be tremendous if she became federal president.” Tagesschau reported that CDU and Social Democratic Party (SPD) figures also support Aigner and that Ines Claus, the CDU parliamentary leader in Hesse, is among the names under discussion. Neither Aigner nor Claus has been formally nominated.
A woman elected in 2027 would be Germany’s first female federal president. DW and Tagesschau reported that all 12 presidents since 1949 have been men.
The dispute concerns political influence; the law gives no party exclusive nomination rights. The Federal President Election Act lets any convention member file a written nomination with the candidate’s written consent. Candidates must be German, eligible to vote in Bundestag elections and at least 40 years old.
A candidate needs a majority of convention members in either of the first two ballots. If no one reaches that threshold, the top vote-getter in the following ballot wins. Germany’s president is head of state; the chancellor sets the federal government’s policy guidelines, while the president represents the country under international law and promulgates federal laws.
Reuters reported that the CDU Presidium is scheduled to meet Nov. 9, with discussions planned first within the conservative bloc and later with the SPD and Greens. Tagesschau said it was uncertain whether the meeting would produce a public candidate announcement.
