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Ilse Aigner, president of the Bavarian State Parliament, attends a Christian Social Union (CSU) party convention in Munich, Germany, on Oct. 23, 2026. /AFP-Yonhap

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has thrown his support behind Ilse Aigner, 61, a politician from Bavaria, as the country's next federal president, raising the prospect of Germany electing its first female head of state.

Bloomberg reported Monday, citing an anonymous source, that Merz had expressed his support for Aigner at a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) dinner gathering in Berlin the previous day and was expected to announce his endorsement officially soon.

Merz had initially withheld his support amid pressure from within the CDU to nominate its own candidate. However, he ultimately decided to back Aigner, who had been recommended by Markus Söder, leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). 

The CDU and CSU operate separately in their respective regions but campaign together in national elections and form a single parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament.

Aigner, a trained electrical engineer, has an unusual professional background. She previously worked on electrical systems development at helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter, now Airbus Helicopters.

She began her political career in local government before being elected to the Bundestag in 1998. She later served as a federal minister under Chancellor Angela Merkel before returning to Bavarian politics in 2013, where she went on to become president of the state parliament.

Aigner is also known to have close personal ties with Merz. According to Bloomberg, she enjoys broad support not only among conservatives but also from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the CDU-CSU alliance's coalition partner, and the opposition Greens.

If elected, Aigner would become Germany's first female president and the first head of state from the CSU. Previous conservative presidents have all come from the CDU.

Germany's presidency is a largely ceremonial position with limited executive powers, but the president plays an important role in promoting national unity and serving as a unifying figure above party politics.

Incumbent President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is due to leave office when his term expires on March 18 next year. His successor will be elected on Jan. 30 by the Federal Convention, a special electoral assembly comprising 630 Bundestag members and 630 representatives chosen by Germany's 16 federal states. 

The CDU-CSU alliance and the SPD are expected to command a majority of the 1,260-member assembly between them. According to the report, additional support from opposition parties, including the Greens, could further strengthen Aigner's prospects of securing the presidency.

                                                                                                           Lee Jeong-eun