Who is Ilse Aigner, leading candidate for Germany's next president?

Bavarian politician Ilse Aigner has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Frank-Walter Steinmeier as president of Germany, a largely ceremonial office, but who is the head of state and regarded as a moral authority for the nation.

News emerged over the weekend that Chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz favored Aigner, a veteran of the CDU's sister-party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) , and currently president of the Bavarian parliament.

A specially convened assembly, the Federal Convention, will gather on January 30, 2027, to elect the next German president. Since the CDU, CSU, and their coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SPD) have a majority in the convention, Aigner's election is considered highly likely.

Aigner is in many respects an unusual politician, especially in Germany, where a law degree often seems to be a prerequisite for a political career. The 61-year-old has no university degree at all, though she did train as a telecommunications technician to join her parents' electrical business.

She spent several years working for the military helicopter company Eurocopter, since bought by the aviation and defense giant Airbus, where she developed electrical components.

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