Ilse Aigner tipped by party allies as next German president

German media reports suggest that Bavarian politician Ilse Aigner's chances of becoming the next president are on the up. Long favored by her Bavarian CSU, now it seems Christian Democrats nationwide plan to back her. But on Friday, multiple German news outlets like Spiegel , the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the DPA news agency cited sources in the CDU as saying that party's leadership had also decided on putting Aigner forward.

DPA reported that Merz would officially recommend Aigner as a candidate at a meeting of the CDU's leadership that will convene in Berlin on Sunday and Monday. On the record, however, party officials would neither confirm nor deny the reports, pointing only to the upcoming meetings on Monday. The youngest of four sisters and the daughter of an electrician, she worked in the family business in her early adult life before going into politics.

She's a Roman Catholic, single and has no children.