Germany news: Merz to nominate Aigner for president

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that he will nominate Ilse Aigner for federal president, paving the way for her to be the first woman to hold the office. DW has more.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced to the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) party heads his intention to nominate Ilse Aigner as the country's next federal president, according to the dpa, AFP and Reuters news agencies. Aigner, who hails from Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) and is the president of the Bavarian state parliament, would be the first woman to hold the German president's position should she be elected on January 30.

Merz will officially pitch Aigner's name for the job on Monday, when party leaders will gather to choose a joint candidate. The city of Moscow has officially unveiled a new commemorative plaque honoring one of communist East Germany 's top Cold War spies, Markus Wolf.