Overview
- The CDU/CSU nominated Ilse Aigner and SPD plus Green leaderships have recommended backing her, making a broad majority likely for the Bundesversammlung vote set for 30 January 2027.
- The Bundesversammlung will be made up of 1,260 members — all 630 Bundestag MPs plus 630 state‑appointed delegates — and many state parliaments are selecting prominent non‑politicians to fill their slots.
- Aigner declined an invitation to meet the AfD parliamentary group after AfD MP Beatrix von Storch called her nomination an “Armutszeugnis,” a decision her office said made the visit unnecessary and which the AfD has publicly criticised.
- If elected, Aigner would be the first woman to hold the presidency and the first officeholder with a Realschule education and trade training, a profile that has focused coverage on representation, qualifications and the ceremonial role of the office.
- What to watch next: state legislatures will finish naming delegates through December, high‑profile names such as Angela Merkel and Günther Jauch are already listed among delegates, and the dispute over contact with the AfD could frame public expectations of the president’s role.