Bavaria: Ministry wants to continue “seamlessly” after Aiwanger’s death

Berlin. After the unexpected death of Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters), there should be a “seamless handover” in the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. "We will continue our work. I also believe that this is exactly what Hubert would have expected from us," said Economics State Secretary Tobias Gotthardt (Free Voters) at a press conference in Munich. Gotthardt will initially head the official business and the ministry until a successor to Aiwanger is formally chosen.

“I notice from the feedback from the employees: It’s not just the boss that’s missing, there’s a big person missing,” said Gotthardt, visibly shaken and fighting back tears. Head of office Sabine Jarothe said: “It is a huge gap that we cannot yet grasp.”

Things in the Ministry of Economic Affairs should initially continue in the line of the late minister. The aim is to assume responsibility and guarantee continued reliability for the Bavarian economy, said Gotthardt. “Nothing that has been started will stop or be delayed anywhere.” And we will continue to be Bavaria's strong voice at the Berlin and Brussels levels.

The Free Voters in Bavaria first want to devote themselves to mourning their party leader who suddenly died - only then should they consider how to reposition themselves. At the moment the situation is such that “we are in a kind of state of shock,” said parliamentary group leader Florian Streibl to Bayerischer Rundfunk. The committees would now have to carry out mourning work.

You first have to become aware of what the situation is right now. “It hasn’t really sunk in for many of us yet.” He himself couldn't believe Aiwanger's death, it was completely "surreal": "I still think he'll call at any moment."

The next step is to consider what happens next. Ways will be found to continue making “fact-oriented politics” in the future, said Streibl about the party that forms the governing coalition in the Free State with the CSU.

Since 2018, Aiwanger has been Economics Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in a coalition of the CSU and Free Voters under Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU). The 55-year-old Lower Bavarian and head of the Free Voters was found lifeless in a hotel in Berlin-Mitte on Wednesday after he was unable to give a speech at the opening of the Free Voters' capital office during the day due to health problems.