The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has put forward this Monday the name of the Bavarian conservative Ilse Aigner, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and current president of the Parliament of the state of Bavaria, as a candidate to become the country’s next head of state, which would make her the first woman to access the Federal Presidency.
The proposal was finalized after the Social Democrats gave their approval, allowing Merz to formally raise the candidacy before the leadership of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) following a meeting of the executive held in Berlin, in which Aigner was also present.
If she is elected, Aigner would become the first woman and, in addition, the first representative of the Bavarian branch of the conservative bloc to assume the highest office of the state.
The parties that make up the current governing coalition —CDU/CSU and SPD— have an advantage of around 50 votes in the Federal Assembly, the body that will designate on January 30 the successor to the current president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The Head of State in Germany is a fundamentally ceremonial and representative post, whose holder is chosen by all members of the Bundestag (Lower House), along with a number equivalent of delegates appointed by the parliaments of the 16 federal states.
The CSU had been backing Aigner for some time and, on this occasion, the leadership of the SPD has also joined in supporting her nomination. "She is a policy-maker with experience and firmly grounded, and she has the important ability to bring people together beyond party and social lines," the party has argued.
For now, the Greens have also expressed their support for the conservative candidate, so everything points to the election being resolved favorably for Aigner already in the first round of voting.