Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) have agreed to back Ilse Aigner of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) for the office of German president, German media reported on Friday, November 6, after weeks of tension between the two sister parties, Reuters reported from Berlin.

Source: Reuters via WYSL

Aigner, 61, is currently speaker (president) of the Bavarian state parliament. If elected, she would become Germany's first female head of state — elected by the Federal Convention, made up of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, and an equal number of representatives from the 16 federal states; German reporting puts that election on January 30, 2027.

Source: Reuters via WYSL / German media via 247 News Bulletins

Not yet official: announcement expected after Monday's meetings

A CDU spokesperson declined to comment ahead of an official announcement expected following party meetings on Monday to propose a successor to President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose term ends next year. “I can neither confirm nor deny that and would refer you to the committee meetings on Monday,” the spokesperson told Reuters.

Source: Reuters via WYSL

On Friday the daily Bild and Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspapers and the weekly Der Spiegel all reported that the CDU had agreed to support her nomination. The CSU put forward Aigner's name earlier this year, but the CDU held back from endorsing her while Merz considered alternatives, straining relations between the sister parties.

Source: Reuters via WYSL

A woman president — and support beyond the Union

Merz said earlier this week that he wanted to see a woman elected as president, and Aigner has already received strong verbal backing from members of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and some members of the environmental Greens, Reuters reported — support that, if it holds in the Federal Convention, would give her a comfortable path to a first-round majority.

Source: Reuters via WYSL

Germany's president holds a largely ceremonial position — signing legislation into law and formally appointing ministers — but can play a significant role beyond daily politics as a moral voice for the country, Reuters noted.

Source: Reuters via WYSL

Aigner trained as an electrical engineering technician and worked in electrical-systems development for helicopter maker Eurocopter. She began her political career in local politics before being elected to federal parliament in 1998, served as agriculture minister under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, and then returned to her home state of Bavaria, where she became speaker of the state parliament in 2018.

Source: Reuters via WYSL

What happens next: the CDU is expected to formalise the nomination at its Monday meetings, after which Aigner would go forward as the Union parties' joint candidate for the January 30, 2027 Federal Convention vote to succeed Steinmeier. Until Monday's announcement, the backing rests on consistent reporting by Bild, Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Der Spiegel — the party itself has neither confirmed nor denied it.

Source: Reuters via WYSL / German media