Ilse Aigner is set to become Germany's next president, making her the first woman to hold the office, two senior conservatives told BILD. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal party matters.
According to the officials, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative bloc and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) will nominate Aigner to succeed outgoing President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Her nomination is expected to be announced Monday. Merz plans to inform senior CDU politicians on Sunday, the officials said.
Aigner 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). She previously served as agriculture minister under former chancellor Angela Merkel from 2008 to 2013.
Steinmeier's second five-year term ends in March 2027, and he is not eligible for re-election. His successor will be elected on January 30, 2027. The report notes that the German presidency is largely ceremonial, with the chancellor setting the government's policy agenda.
The report says Bavarian premier Markus Söder suggested Aigner as a candidate in April. SPD and Green politicians have also signaled support in recent weeks. Brandenburg SPD state premier Dietmar Woidke told POLITICO's Berlin Playbook that Aigner is "the perfect candidate" who knows German politics "inside out."