Weber calls for rapid nomination of Ilse Aigner as German president

Manfred Weber (center), EPP chairman in the European Parliament, stands next to Thorsten Frei (right) and Alexander Hoffmann. Source: Michael Kappeler/dpa

CSU deputy leader Manfred Weber is calling for a swift decision to make Ilse Aigner Germany's next federal president. The CDU, meanwhile, continues to leave open whom Chancellor Merz will propose.

Weber Endorses Aigner

CSU deputy chairman and EPP leader Manfred Weber has spoken out in favor of Bavarian State Parliament President Ilse Aigner as the successor to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

"Ilse Aigner brings a huge wealth of political experience," Weber told the news magazine Focus. "She knows Europe, she was a federal minister and has now been serving very successfully as Bavarian State Parliament president for many years." Even more important, he said: "She has her heart in the right place. We need a federal president who can bridge divides and reconcile people."

Weber called on CDU leader Friedrich Merz and CSU leader Markus Söder to decide quickly. "My recommendation: propose Ilse Aigner, and Germany will have a good president." He accepted that all committees were discussing and consulting internally. "But now a decision must be made."

Related: Merz sees several options for Steinmeier's successor – Greens irritated by new CDU candidate

Support Within the CDU

CSU state group leader Alexander Hoffmann also advocated for Aigner on Tuesday. "I perceive a very, very high level of appreciation for Ilse Aigner within the CDU," he said before the CDU/CSU parliamentary group meeting. Union parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei (CDU), who stood next to him, did not comment.

Söder had already campaigned for Aigner in the weeks prior. The SPD has also spoken out in favor of the CSU politician. According to the news agency AFP, Aigner now has supporters within the CDU and among the Greens as well.

CDU Does Not Rule Out Aigner

On Monday, Merz committed to proposing a woman for the highest state office. The CDU has not yet named a candidate. Secretary-General Franziska Hoppermann did not rule out that Aigner remained in the running. The candidate would come for Merz "from the ranks of the Union and is therefore also a joint proposal by the two Union party leaders," she told broadcasters RTL and ntv. There were "many different female candidates who are excellently suited and come into consideration."

Related: Two more state premiers speak out in favor of Aigner as federal president

Frei announced a decision "in the very near future." He defended the chancellor's late commitment: talks had been ongoing for some time, and the process would soon be concluded. Merz ultimately wanted a candidate "who enjoys recognition and approval across party and parliamentary group lines."

Possible CDU candidates mentioned include Federal Family Minister Karin Prien, Hesse parliamentary group leader Ines Claus, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, and former party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

Related: "The highest office should be held by a woman" – SPD and Greens advocate for a female federal president

Decision Expected Early Next Week

The party committees are set to decide early next week. According to information from the Rheinische Post, Merz plans to discuss the matter at a dinner with the party presidium at the Konrad Adenauer House on Sunday evening. The group is to meet again on Monday, followed by a meeting of the CDU federal executive board.

Poll: Merkel Ahead of Aigner and de Maizière

For 70 percent of German citizens, it does not matter whether a man or a woman takes over the office, according to the Forsa institute's "Trendbarometer" for RTL and ntv. 28 percent expressly want a female federal president, while two percent prefer a man. In August, 19 percent had wished for a woman.

Related: "Now it's your turn too" – Söder sticks with CSU candidate for federal presidency

When asked who they consider suitable, 50 percent named former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), 36 percent Aigner, and 33 percent former Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière (CDU). Forsa surveyed 1,001 people.

Greens and AfD React

Green parliamentary group leader Britta Haßelmann emphasized that the time was "ripe for a woman at the top." "Many women in our country – in politics, in business, in society – are underrepresented, including here in parliament," she said in Berlin. "And I would wish that a woman takes on this office as federal president at the head of the state."

Related: CSU party conference – The question of who becomes federal president now divides the Union parties

AfD parliamentary managing director Bernd Baumann considers all the female candidates discussed within the Union unsuitable. He declined to name his own candidate in an interview with WELT TV. However, it must be someone who does not continue "this firewall policy," he said, also with a view to Steinmeier's term in office.

AFP/rtr/eck