Germany Presidential Candidate Ilse Aigner Holds Bundestag Talks While Skipping AfD and Left Party
German presidential candidate Ilse Aigner meets with SPD and Greens at the Bundestag, but declines talks with AfD and Linke following criticism.
POLICY WIRE — Berlin, Germany — Ilse Aigner, the frontrunner for the German federal presidency, arrived at the Bundestag on Tuesday to engage in formal discussions with various political factions.
The former minister, representing the CDU/CSU alliance, has secured backing from both the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens as she seeks to become the nation’s first female president.
However, Aigner has opted not to present her political platform to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group or the Left Party (Linke).
Eric Markuse, Aigner’s chief of staff and the president of the Bavarian State Parliament, confirmed the decision to bypass the AfD despite an invitation being extended by the group.
Markuse indicated that the meeting was deemed unnecessary following previous negative comments made by Beatrix von Storch, the AfD’s deputy parliamentary leader, regarding Aigner’s nomination.
While the Left Party did not extend a formal invitation, the AfD had expressed willingness to meet with the candidate, an offer she ultimately declined.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)