Merz’s conservatives poised to nominate Germany’s first woman president

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Bavarian politician Ilse Aigner is “the perfect candidate,” according to one center-left state premier.

BERLIN — Bavarian politician Ilse Aigner is set to become Germany’s next president, making her the country’s first woman to hold the office, according to two senior conservatives with knowledge of the matter.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) will nominate Aigner to succeed outgoing German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the officials told BILD, which, like POLITICO, is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network. Both officials were granted anonymity to discuss internal party matters freely. Aigner’s nomination will officially be announced Monday, according to the officials.

Aigner, who previously served as agriculture minister under former German Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2008 to 2013, is currently president of the Bavarian State Parliament. She is also a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The CDU and CSU form a joint parliamentary bloc in the Bundestag and are part of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament. Merz intends to inform senior CDU politicians Sunday that Aigner will be the bloc’s candidate, the two officials said.

Steinmeier’s second five-year term ends in March 2027. He is not eligible for re-election. His successor will be elected on Jan. 30, 2027. The German presidency is largely ceremonial, with the chancellor setting the government’s policy agenda.

Bavaria’s CSU premier, Markus Söder, suggested Aigner as a candidate back in April. The CSU has long dominated Bavarian politics but has never produced a German chancellor or president. Prominent SPD and Green politicians have also signaled their support for Aigner in recent weeks.

Brandenburg’s SPD state premier, Dietmar Woidke, described Aigner as “the perfect candidate” who knows German politics “inside out,” he told POLITICO’s Berlin Playbook on Friday.

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