In brief
At a Berlin press conference on Monday, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Ilse Aigner, president of the Bavarian Landtag and member of the Christian Social Union, will seek the German presidency. Aigner said she aims to be a candidate of the "strong center" to bridge social divides. With the CDU-DSR majority in the Federal Convention, Aigner is expected to win the Jan. 30 election.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the nomination of Ilse Aigner, president of the Bavarian Landtag, as the Christian Democratic Union’s candidate for the German presidency at a press conference in Berlin on Monday.
The announcement came after the CDU’s federal executive board backed Merz’s proposal, and it follows the party’s recent push to field a gender‑balanced candidate for the country’s top ceremonial post.
Aigner, a seasoned politician in her 80s, has served as the president of the Bavarian state parliament since 2017 and is also a member of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party to the CDU.
Ilse Aigner told reporters:
She aims to be a candidate of the "strong center" to bridge social divides and counter populist and extremist forces.
Merz highlighted the urgency of a unified leadership amid geopolitical crises and the rise of extremist movements, arguing that the presidency must embody national cohesion.
The next German federal president will be elected by the Federal Convention on January 30, 2027. Because the CDU and its coalition partners hold a solid majority in that body, Aigner is widely expected to win the election.
If elected, Aigner would become Germany’s first female head of state, a historic milestone for the country’s political landscape.
Source: Xinhua report from Berlin, November 9, 2026.
