CDU prime ministers are campaigning for Ilse Aigner – CSU politician wants to involve the Greens

In the debate about the successor to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, support for the CSU politician Ilse Aigner is growing. “I think it’s good,” Thuringian Prime Minister Mario Voigt (CDU) told “Stern” according to information from Wednesday. “She has what it takes to be Federal President.”

“I know from experience and from working together for over 20 years that she ticks like someone Germany needs right now,” Voigt told Aigner the magazine. Aigner is a woman “who can connect the country, who is close to it, but above all who has worked her way up herself.” This is “a story that can be used very well in the country.”

Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) also said that he would like Aigner to become the Union's joint candidate on Monday. Baden-Württemberg's CDU state leader Manuel Hagel makes a similar statement. “Ilse Aigner has my full support as a joint candidate for the office of Federal President,” said Hagel to the German Press Agency. "Her reputation extends far beyond her own ranks. She combines clarity with warmth. Always at eye level, always empathetic." He referred to the increasingly harsh political climate in the Federal Republic. Many people have the feeling that something is slipping. “Right now, as head of state, Germany needs a voice that brings people together.”

From his point of view, Aigner is “the perfect candidate,” Woidke is quoted as saying. "She knows German politics inside out. She is approachable. She likes people, can listen and people listen to her."

CDU Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Jan Redmann from Brandenburg had previously spoken out in favor of Aigner's candidacy: "Ilse Aigner is a candidate tailor-made for the highest state office," he told the German Press Agency. She has the experience, the format and the recognition far beyond her own party. "I am convinced that Ilse Aigner can bring people together. And that is exactly what our country needs now."

There should be a decision on the candidacy next week

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) decided on Monday that the Union would propose a woman as a candidate for the highest state office. The Bavarian state parliament president Aigner has long been mentioned as a possible successor to Steinmeier. However, several women from the CDU are also being discussed.

Aigner himself spoke out in favor of involving the Greens more closely in the elections to the Federal Assembly. “I would find it charming if the Greens could be brought on board,” she told Zeit magazine.

A decision is expected at the beginning of next week, when the CDU presidium and board deal with the issue. The Federal Assembly will decide on the successor to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on January 30, 2027.