Federal President | Union disagrees about Aigner's path to Bellevue Palace

The President of the Bavarian State Parliament, Ilse Aigner, is considered the possible next Federal President. Photo: AFP/ALEXANDRA BEIER The succession to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is developing into a power struggle between the CDU and CSU. While CSU boss Markus Söder wants to send the Bavarian state parliament president Ilse Aigner into the running for the highest state office, Federal Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz is still keeping a low profile. At the same time, there are demands from the CDU for a candidate from its own ranks. Aigner, however, receives support from the SPD and Green politicians. The CDU presidium wants to deal with the personnel on November 9th. The Federal Assembly will elect the new head of state on January 30th.

At the CSU party conference last weekend in Munich, Söder again campaigned for the 61-year-old Aigner. He pointed out that the CSU had not provided either the Federal Chancellor or the Federal President in 75 years. Now the time has come to get involved in filling the highest state office. Aigner herself said she was pleased about the support, but pointed out that the decision rested with the party leaders.

Merz avoided making a decision at the party conference, even though he prominently greeted Aigner at the beginning of his speech. The CDU had already made it clear before the party conference that it had not given up its right to have its own proposal. It is therefore unclear whether Merz is prepared to hand over the office to the CSU.

The dispute extends beyond the question of personal suitability. Within the Union, it is about which of the two sister parties sets the tone when filling the highest state office. The CDU has significantly more members in the Federal Assembly than the CSU. Without an agreement with the larger sister party, Söder's initiative is unlikely to be successful.

CDU Vice President Michael Kretschmer also explicitly supported Aigner. There has also been a good relationship between the eastern branches of the CDU and conservative Bavaria for some time on thematic issues. She is an outstanding personality who can bring the country together and represent it to the outside world, said the Saxon Prime Minister in the ARD “Report from Berlin”. At the same time, there are other suitable women and men.

CDU General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann pointed out that there were some suitable candidates from within their own ranks. It's about agreeing on a common proposal. Union parliamentary group vice-president Mathias Middelberg, however, emphasized that real political authority was more important than gender. It is still unclear which names besides Aigner are actually up for debate.

For Merz, the personality is also a question of his position in his own party. After the Union's recent election defeats and weak poll numbers, a decision in favor of the CSU could be seen as a sign of limited assertiveness. A CDU candidacy, on the other hand, would enable him to underline the senior partner's claim to leadership. The fact that Merz has not yet made a commitment keeps the conflict open.

For Söder, too, the personnel is not without risks. If Aigner were to move into Bellevue Palace, the path for another CSU politician to head the federal government would be considerably more politically difficult. It would be hard to imagine a Federal President from Bavaria and a CSU Chancellor at the same time. Söder's own ambitions for the chancellorship could therefore initially become less important.

The CSU leader has nevertheless repeatedly reiterated his support for Aigner. Observers saw his move in the spring as an attempt to stabilize his own position after setbacks within the party. After weak results in his re-election as party leader and losses in local elections, Söder came under pressure. With Aigner's candidacy, he was able to present himself as a party leader who supports a long-time companion and at the same time strives for historic success for the CSU.

Söder therefore had to formally support Aigner - now he is likely to be annoyed by this maneuver, as it makes the chancellorship difficult for him. But Söder can't let them go either because Aigner is far too popular in the CSU and he has already campaigned too prominently for them. His remark at the CSU state party conference that the decision on Aigner's candidacy would be made elsewhere suggests another background: the hope that the CDU will get the Aigner case off his back.

If not, it would at least be a consolation for Söder that Aigner's move to Berlin would at least lead her out of Bavarian state politics as a possible internal party competitor.

While the CDU and CSU are fighting over the proposal, politicians from the SPD and the Greens are in favor of electing a woman to the highest state office for the first time. The First Parliamentary Managing Director of the SPD parliamentary group, Dirk Wiese, believes that a woman at the top of the state is overdue. Several Social Democrats explicitly named Aigner as a suitable candidate. The former SPD parliamentary group deputy Ralf Stegner described her as a respectable choice for the first female head of state in the Federal Republic.

Stegner criticized the Union leadership's treatment of Aigner. The CDU and CSU are obviously treating the personnel primarily from a tactical perspective. This reveals a leadership crisis, the SPD politician told the “Rheinische Post”. The approach was neither appropriate for the office nor respectful of Aigner. The candidate question is also relevant for the SPD because the Union and the Social Democrats together have a sufficient majority in the Federal Assembly to elect a head of state. However, the Union must first reach an internal agreement before discussions with the coalition partner can lead to a joint proposal.

The Greens are also calling for a woman to hold the highest state office. Parliamentary group leader Britta Haßelmann demands a personality who stands up for the protection of democracy and provides orientation. However, the Greens have not yet decided on a name.

The Federal Assembly is made up of 630 members of the Bundestag and the same number of electors sent by the states. Incumbent Steinmeier cannot run again after two terms in office. The Union therefore has little time left until the election at the end of January to reach an agreement. Whether Merz supports the initiative of his CSU partner or insists on the CDU's own candidacy will likely become clear in the upcoming deliberations of the party committees. With agencies

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