CSU party conference: Merz does not comment on the presidential question

Analysis Possible candidacy of Aigner The Chancellor is silent on the P question As of: October 24, 2026 • 6:51 p.m

Will CSU politician Aigner be a candidate for the office of Federal President? It was eagerly awaited whether CDU leader Merz would comment on this at the CSU party conference. He didn't do it - and yet he sent a signal.

Sometimes in politics every word matters. But sometimes what is not said is more important.

The Chancellor is greeted with polite applause at the CSU party conference. Musically, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor plays, an anthem for perseverance and fighting spirit. Don't lose sight of the goal, finally get it done now, is the CSU's musical warning to the Chancellor. The reforms must be implemented more quickly and the Union must assert itself more clearly in the SPD.

Report from the party conference: The CSU in Munich Das Erste, October 24th, 2026 • 11:40 p.m. Friedrich Merz addresses all of this in his hour-long speech at the party conference. Foreign policy, economics, more and more startups in Germany, the fight against the political fringes. In the end there was almost a promise that the electricity tax would be reduced for everyone “if at all possible”.

But about the possible candidacy of the Bavarian state parliament president Ilse Aigner for the office of federal president: not a word.

At the same time, Söder is calling for financial relief for the population. more

The only signal - the special moment at this party conference - comes before Merz's speech. Merz and Aigner know each other well and are also connected privately. The Merz family's holiday home on Tegernsee is in the Aigner district.

Before the Chancellor goes on stage, Merz greets the President of the Bavarian State Parliament with a hug. When the Chancellor then came to the lectern, he first greeted CSU leader Markus Söder, followed immediately by Aigner. And the room reacts immediately. There's a big round of applause, the delegates stand up, a standing ovation, big cheers. This is the signal the CSU has been waiting for. Aigner seems to feel the same way, she stands up and waves into the hall. It almost seems like an honor.

CSU party conference in Munich: Chancellor Merz's speech tagesschau24, October 24th, 2026 • 3:00 p.m. Merz does not mention the name Aigner. But the Chancellor says nothing further, and in his entire speech there is not a word about the open question of the president. He doesn't mention Aigner's name, nor any of the other possible candidates. The Chancellor remains silent on the subject of the Federal President.

Behind the scenes we hear that the Chancellor is under pressure. "Merz is not in a position now - after losing the elections and the still faltering reforms - to step in front of his CDU and say: I'll give the post of Federal President to the CSU," CSU people fear.

The CDU women are using their influence to ensure that a woman from their ranks has to be chosen. One even hears: It is more likely to be a CDU man than a CSU woman. In any case, the larger Union party has the right of access.

In the report from the party conference, Söder counters: "Never in 75 years has the CSU not appointed either Federal Chancellor or Federal President. Actually, one can argue that we are now in a bit of a position."

At the start of the CSU party conference, party leader Söder takes on the Left and the AfD. more

The party conference, at which both Söder and Merz emphasized the solidarity between the sister parties CDU and CSU, is more appearance than reality for the Union. When it comes to the highest office in the state, each party is closest to itself.

Söder is also personally convinced of Aigner - he makes this clear in the report from the party conference: "It's not about haggling for positions. We have an offer, a personality who is completely undisputed, that he has the democratic, personal and character suitability for the office." Furthermore, according to the CSU boss: “I haven’t heard any other names yet.”

The anger at the Chancellor's silence and the CDU's failure to name possible alternative candidates is clear. With Söder, but also with many delegates. And so the CSU party conference's clear commitment to Ilse Aigner becomes a further power-political test for the Chancellor.

But Söder also knows that the Union parties will not only be able to choose the next Federal President among themselves. The joint decision of the Union parties and the coalition partner SPD must be made in good time: "The best thing would of course be in November."

However, Söder can only win within the Union. If he can get his way with Aigner becoming president, the CSU boss will show his assertiveness in the federal government and also get rid of a competitor in Bavaria. If Aigner does not become Federal President, this will allow Söder to succeed Merz as Chancellor. Because two CSU people at the head of the republic, as Federal Chancellor and as Federal President, that would definitely be too much Bavarian influence from the CDU's point of view.

This topic in the program: tagesschau24 | News | Oct 24, 2026 | 4:00 p.m. Das Erste | daily news | Oct 24, 2026 | 8:00 p.m