# Who is Ilse Aigner, leading candidate for Germany’s next president?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/who-is-ilse-aigner-leading-candidate-for-germanys-next-president/
- Published: 2026-11-09T13:10:22+00:00
- Original publisher: DW (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.dw.com/en/who-is-ilse-aigner-leading-candidate-for-germany-s-next-president/a-79898848?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
- Topics: Elections, Europe, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Merz backs Ilse Aigner for Germany’s presidency.
- She could become the country’s first female president.
- A majority in the Federal Convention makes her election likely.

## Summary

Ilse Aigner has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Frank-Walter Steinmeier as Germany’s president, after Chancellor Friedrich Merz backed her. The role is largely ceremonial, but the president is the country’s head of state and is regarded as a moral authority; if elected, Aigner would be Germany’s first female president and the first from the CSU.

Aigner, 61, trained as a telecommunications technician and worked for helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter before entering Bavarian politics in 1994. She served in the Bundestag from 1998 to 2013, including six years as agriculture and consumer protection minister, then returned to Bavaria, where she has been state parliament president for eight years. The Federal Convention votes on 30 January 2027; the CDU, CSU and SPD majority makes her election highly likely.

## Coverage

- [DW: Who is Ilse Aigner, leading candidate for Germany’s next president?](https://www.dw.com/en/who-is-ilse-aigner-leading-candidate-for-germany-s-next-president/a-79898848?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf)
- [DW: Germany: CDU names Ilse Aigner as candidate for president](https://www.dw.com/en/germany-cdu-names-ilse-aigner-as-candidate-for-president/a-79898143?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf)

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.