Merz’s conservatives poised to nominate Germany’s first woman president
Bavarian politician Ilse Aigner is "the perfect candidate," according to one center-left state premier.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative party and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) are expected to nominate Bavarian politician Ilse Aigner as Germany's first female president, according to two senior conservatives familiar with the process. Aigner, who previously served as agriculture minister under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, is currently president of the Bavarian State Parliament and a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
CDU and CSU jointly form a parliamentary bloc in the Bundestag and are part of the European People's Party in the European Parliament. Merz plans to inform senior CDU politicians on Sunday that Aigner will be their candidate for the presidency. Aigner's term will begin on January 30, 2027, following the conclusion of outgoing German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's second five-year term on March 2027.
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