Aigner will not present herself to AfD parliamentary group in Bundestag — Der Spiegel

In Germany, Ilse Aigner, the CDU/CSU alliance’s candidate for the office of federal president, does not plan to present herself to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Der Spiegel reported this, citing a statement by her chief of staff, Eric Markuse, to the German Press Agency.

Reaction to AfD statement

Markuse explained this by referring to remarks by Beatrix von Storch, deputy chairwoman of the AfD parliamentary group. According to him, von Storch publicly called Aigner’s nomination “evidence of incapacity.” She also criticized the criteria by which, in her view, the politician’s candidacy was selected.

Aigner is also unlikely to present herself to the Left Party parliamentary group for the time being. The party’s parliamentary representative, Ina Latendorf, said that no invitation had been sent to the candidate. At the same time, she added that Aigner could present herself to the parliamentary group if she wished.

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Planned visits

Instead, Aigner plans to visit the CDU/CSU and Social Democratic Party of Germany parliamentary groups, which are part of the coalition, as well as the opposition Greens. The CDU nominated her on Monday as its candidate for the federal presidential election scheduled for January 30.

The politician is the joint candidate of the CDU/CSU alliance parties to replace incumbent President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The leadership of the SPD and the Greens has already promised her support.