Overview
- Multiple German outlets and government sources confirmed that Hubert Aiwanger, Bavaria’s economics minister and deputy minister-president, was found dead in a Berlin hotel after missing a party event.
- Reporting says he canceled a planned appearance at the Freie Wähler’s new Berlin office for health reasons and was later discovered unresponsive in his room, with some outlets naming the hotel tentatively as Neuer Fritz.
- Authorities have not released a cause of death and preliminary reports from media citing police and government contacts say there are no immediate signs of foul play, while formal autopsy and police inquiries are under way.
- Aiwanger’s family has been notified; he leaves a long-term partner, Tanja Schweiger, and two sons, and his sudden death creates an immediate leadership and government gap for the Freie Wähler in the CSU–Freie Wähler coalition.
- Aiwanger led the Freie Wähler for decades, served in the Bavarian cabinet since 2018, and his recent local electoral gains make his death politically significant as party and state officials prepare next steps and succession plans.