Germany: Chancellor Merz to nominate Aigner for president

These updates are now closed. Here is a roundup of the top stories from and about Germany on the weekend of Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, 2026:

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced to the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) party heads his intention to nominate Ilse Aigner as the country's next federal president, according to the dpa, AFP and Reuters news agencies.

She will replace Frank-Walter Steinmeier when he steps down at the end of his term early next year.

Aigner, who hails from Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) and is the president of the Bavarian state parliament, would be the first woman to hold the German president's position should she be elected on January 30.

Steinmeier is a member of the junior coalition partner SPD .

Merz will officially pitch Aigner's name for the job on Monday, when party leaders will gather to choose a joint candidate.

SPD and Green Party representatives have already voiced support for her candidacy.

The city of Moscow has officially unveiled a new commemorative plaque honoring one of communist East Germany 's top Cold War spies, Markus Wolf.

Copyright for this text belongs to Deutsche Welle.