DW reported that Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced he would nominate Ilse Aigner, president of the Bavarian State Parliament, as a presidential candidate; if elected, she would be Germany’s first woman president.
Aigner belongs to the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Reuters, citing party sources, said Merz planned to raise her candidacy during CDU discussions Sunday. Deutschlandfunk and Handelsblatt reported that CDU leadership bodies were expected to consider the choice Monday, Nov. 9, followed by a public appearance by Merz and Aigner. Those reports had not confirmed a formal nomination by late Sunday.
Tagesschau reported that Merz had argued the CDU, the convention’s strongest group, should have the right to propose a candidate. Reuters said the expected selection followed weeks of strain between the CDU and CSU. EconoTimes previously covered the dispute over influence in the presidential selection.
A party nomination would put Aigner forward but would not decide the election. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s term ends Mar. 18, 2027. The German Bundestag has scheduled the Federal Convention, made up of all 630 Bundestag members and 630 delegates selected by state legislatures, to choose his successor by secret ballot on Jan. 30, 2027.
