Germany is set to get its first female president after the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz nominated Ilse Aigner for the post, ABC News reported. According to the report, Aigner would become the country's head of state next year, and the summary described her as a center-right politician with "appeal to liberals."
The headline on the ABC News item goes further than its summary. The headline says the governing parties united around Aigner, a former minister, while the summary names only Merz's party as the body that made the nomination. The summary does not say which ministry she previously led, and it does not state whether any other party formally backed her. The summary alone does not confirm the headline's account of a united coalition.
The ABC News summary gives no date for when the nomination would be formally completed, and it contains no comment from Aigner, Merz, or any other party leader. It also does not say how the choice fits into Germany's wider political situation. The item was published on November 9, 2026, according to its listing, and the listing does not name an author.
Because this account rests on a single ABC News item and its summary, the details here are limited to what that outlet reported. No other reporting on the nomination was part of the material reviewed for this story, and the full ABC News report cited above is the place to check the complete wording.
The ABC News summary also gives the timing only as a general reference to next year, without a specific month. It names no policy position, vote count, or statement from Aigner, and it reports no reaction from opposition parties. Those gaps mean the report can establish the nomination and its general timing, but not how the decision was reached.
Sources: ABC News: Germany set to get 1st female president as governing parties unite around ex-minister.