Germany news: President candidate Aigner to meet parties in Bundestag

Ilse Aigner, nominated by Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc to become president, is due to meet parties in the Bundestag. Her visit matters because she has support from the Social Democrats and Greens, while saying she will not meet the far-right AfD.

Aigner has not received an official invitation from the Left party, and an AfD member criticised her nomination as a “disgrace”. The Bundestag is due to vote on January 30; although the presidency is Germany’s highest political office, it is largely ceremonial. Other events include Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosting Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, as Russian and Ukrainian representatives begin talks in Abu Dhabi.