Germany Set to Elect First Female President as Ilse Aigner Secures Broad Backing

Germany is poised to elect its first female president after Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative bloc nominated Ilse Aigner, a center-right politician known for her appeal to liberal voters, to succeed President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The new head of state will be chosen on January 30 by a special parliamentary assembly comprising the 630 members of the Bundestag and an equal number of delegates from Germany's 16 state parliaments.

Aigner, 61, currently serves as speaker of Bavaria's state legislature and is a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the smallest party in the national government and part of Merz's conservative alliance. Her candidacy received official backing on Monday from leaders of Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), making her election almost certain given the governing parties' majority in the assembly. She has also received a positive reception from the opposition Greens.

Presenting Aigner in Berlin, Merz emphasized that it is "high time for a woman to hold this highest office for the first time." He noted that Aigner's background as an electrical engineer would also be a first for a German president, reflecting "the reality of millions of people in our country" who work in manual and technical professions.

Aigner presented herself as a unifying figure in an increasingly polarized country, saying she hopes to represent a "strong center." She described the broad political support taking shape for her as "an important signal against populist and extremist forces in our country." She added, "I am in politics to overcome divisions, bring people together and also reach those who perhaps feel that they stand on the sidelines," and stated that she stands against "every attack on human dignity."

Aigner has been active in politics since her late teens and was elected to the Bavarian state legislature in 1994. She served as Germany's agriculture minister from 2008 to 2013 under Chancellor Angela Merkel, then as Bavaria's economy and transport minister before becoming speaker of the Bavarian state legislature eight years ago. She has a relatively liberal reputation; in her current role, she supported Germany's first openly transgender lawmaker in 2019.

Germany's post-World War II federal republic has had 12 presidents since 1949, all men. Women have held most of the country's other top jobs, including Angela Merkel, who served as the first female chancellor from 2005 to 2021. Four women have served as speaker of the Bundestag, including incumbent Julia Klöckner. President Steinmeier is constitutionally barred from seeking a third five-year term.