Friedrich Merz proposes Ilse Aigner to become Germany's first female president
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to propose CSU politician Ilse Aigner as the candidate for Federal President, potentially making her the first woman in the office.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to officially propose Ilse Aigner to succeed Frank-Walter Steinmeier as Federal President. The 61-year-old CSU politician and current president of the Bavarian state parliament is scheduled for official nomination on Monday, ahead of the vote by the Federal Assembly on January 30.
If elected, Aigner would become both the first woman and the first CSU politician to serve as Germany's head of state. Addressing the nomination on social media, Aigner wrote that "Mein Anspruch war und ist es, Präsidentin für alle zu sein." While her candidacy is widely supported within the conservative CDU/CSU alliance, reports suggest some internal irritation over how the nomination process was handled by leadership.
Sources: Der Spiegel, Der Standard, DW, FAZ, Tagesschau.
How outlets assessed this
- Der Spiegel Critical Emphasized party irritation regarding Chancellor Merz's closed-door decision-making process.
Sources
- Der Spiegel — Ilse Aigner: Im CDU-Präsidium dürfte Kanzler Friedrich Merz ihre Nominierung als Bundespräsidentin verkünden
- Der Standard — Ilse Aigner – eine bodenständige Bayerin soll ins höchste deutsche Staatsamt
- FAZ — Deutschland Liveblog: Friedrich Merz schlägt Ilse Aigner als Bundespräsidentin vor
- DW — Nach zwölf Männern: Die CSU-Politikerin Aigner ist nun Favoritin als erste deutsche Bundespräsidentin
- Tagesschau — Kanzler Merz will Aigner als Bundespräsidentin vorschlagen
Earlier coverage
- Nov 9, 2026, 09:30 AM UTCGerman Chancellor Merz officially nominates Ilse Aigner for presidency