Opposition to a potential candidacy for Federal President by Ilse Aigner (CSU) has emerged within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The CDU establishment was reportedly surprised by the move, which was initially championed by Bavarian leader Markus Söder, and receiving immediate support from other CSU politicians.
While Söder advocated for Aigner, the CDU camp is cautious, noting that several strong female candidates are currently in discussion. According to CDU membership representative Philipp Amthor, while he supports Aigner’s potential candidacy for a woman in the Bellevue Palace, he added that the political climate is fluid, mentioning that “many good candidates are in discussion”.
Other prominent CDU figures have their own ambitions, with names such as Family Minister Karin Prien and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer also reportedly being considered internally.
Nevertheless, CDU federal figures remain open to suggestions. Steffen Bilger, the first parliamentary managing director of the CDU parliamentary group, stated that he welcomes any suitable proposal and reminded that the CDU and CSU plan to develop a staff proposal over the course of the summer.
The support for Aigner was also voiced by Sepp Müller, the Union’s vice group leader. Müller expressed his unequivocal backing for Aigner, stating that he knows her as an integrative, citizen-focused personality and believes she possesses the qualities required for the office.
