Chancellor MERZ, who also chairs the CDU, on the 9th formally nominated Ilse
Aigner, speaker of the Bavarian state parliament, as his candidate for the next
German federal president. If elected she would become Germany’s first female
head of state. MERZ announced the nomination at a joint news conference, saying
that amid overlapping geopolitical crises and rising domestic extremism Germany
needs a unifying president to guide the public; he described Aigner as
experienced and capable of winning broad public support.
