Several CDU politicians have voiced support for CSU politician Ilse Aigner as a candidate for Germany’s federal presidency. Brandenburg CDU leader Jan Redmann told the German Press Agency he believed Aigner could bring people together, adding that this was what the country needed. Tobias Vogt, head of the CDU group in Baden-Württemberg’s state parliament, also backed her in comments to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister-President Sven Schulze described Aigner to Focus magazine as a very good candidate for the office.
The political liveblog also reported that members of the Left Party, the SPD and the Greens are expected to decide on Berlin’s coalition programme by the end of January. The Left Party and SPD plan member votes, while the Greens intend to seek a digital opinion from members before putting the coalition agreement to a party conference.
In a separate development, Left Party parliamentary group leader Eva von Angern is considering a bid to become minister-president of Saxony-Anhalt against AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund. A party spokesperson said the parliamentary group would decide at a meeting on Tuesday whether to proceed, initially for the first round of voting. Siegmund plans to seek election in the state parliament in December and needs three votes from outside his party. The CDU group has decided to leave the chamber during the vote, although one CDU lawmaker has said he intends to stay; the BSW plans to abstain.
Sources: FAZ.