Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats have agreed to back Ilse Aigner for German president, German media reported on Friday, ending weeks of tension between the sister parties.

Aigner, 61, speaker of the Bavarian state parliament, would become Germany's first female head of state if elected by the Federal Convention, made up of the Bundestag and representatives from the 16 federal states.

The CSU put forward Aigner's name earlier this year, but the CDU held back while Merz considered alternatives, straining relations between the parties. On Friday, the daily Bild and Süddeutsche Zeitung newspapers and the weekly Der Spiegel all reported that the CDU had agreed to support her nomination.

A CDU spokesperson declined to comment ahead of an official announcement expected after Monday's meetings to propose a successor to President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose term ends next year. "I can neither confirm nor deny that and would refer you to the committee meetings on Monday," the spokesperson told Reuters.

Broad support across parties

Merz said this week he wanted a woman elected president, and Aigner already has strong verbal backing from the centre-left Social Democrats and some Greens.

If confirmed at a CDU/CSU meeting on Monday, she would be all but certain to be formally elected on 30 January 2027, when the Federal Convention votes. Steinmeier, who took office in 2017, will reach the limit of two five-year terms in March 2027.

Aigner trained as a telecommunications technician and worked on electrical systems for helicopter maker Eurocopter before entering politics. She served as agriculture minister under former Chancellor Angela Merkel and has led the Bavarian state parliament since 2018.

Germany's president holds a largely ceremonial role, signing laws and appointing ministers, but can act as a moral voice beyond daily politics.