Merz backs Aigner to become Germany’s first female president, man raises Palestinian flag outside German parliament, justice minister pushes for review of possible AfD ban and more news on Monday, November 9th.
Monday’s top story: Merz backs Aigner to become Germany’s first female president
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has confirmed that he will nominate Bavarian politician Ilse Aigner as Germany’s next president, putting her on course to become the first woman to hold the post.
Merz announced his decision at a dinner for leaders of his centre-right CDU on Sunday. Aigner, 61, belongs to the CSU, the CDU’s Bavarian sister party.
Her election on January 30th is considered highly likely because the governing CDU, CSU and SPD traditionally agree on a joint candidate. Aigner would succeed Social Democrat Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose second five-year term ends in March 2027.
The presidency is largely ceremonial, but its holder is expected to stand above party politics and serve as the country’s moral voice.
READ ALSO: Merz says next German president should be a woman
Aigner previously served as agriculture minister under Angela Merkel and is now president of Bavaria’s regional parliament. SPD politicians have praised her political experience, accessibility and ability to listen.
Aigner is viewed by admirers as a potentially calming influence. Before entering politics, she trained and worked as an electronics technician.
Missing Berlin schoolgirl found dead in Brandenburg
Police are investigating the death of a 13-year-old Berlin schoolgirl whose body was discovered in an empty house in Brandenburg following a days-long search.
Lisa, from Berlin-Marzahn, was found on Sunday afternoon in Bad Freienwalde, around 50 kilometres from her home. A seriously injured man discovered inside the property is suspected of abducting and killing her. He remains in a critical condition after apparently shooting himself.
Investigators are collecting evidence from the house and surrounding area, while a post-mortem examination is expected to help establish how and when Lisa died. Her body is believed to have been in the property for some time.
The teenager disappeared on Tuesday after leaving home at about 7.20am to catch a bus to school. She never arrived.
Police subsequently treated the disappearance as a suspected serious crime and launched a major search involving hundreds of officers. Investigators questioned residents, distributed witness appeals and deployed search dogs, a helicopter and an underwater drone.
Although the initial inquiry focused on Berlin’s Marzahn-Hellersdorf district, police found Lisa after receiving a report of someone trespassing at the vacant Brandenburg property.
Man raises Palestinian flag outside German parliament
German state security is investigating after a man removed the national flag outside Berlin’s Reichstag and replaced it with a Palestinian flag.
The 22-year-old climbed the nearly 30-metre flagpole on Platz der Republik at around 11.30am on Sunday. Police said he took down the German “Flag of Unity”, dropped it to the ground and raised the Palestinian flag in its place.
Two men, aged 20 and 32, allegedly assisted from the base of the pole. Police secured the area and detained them while the climber remained at the top, attached to a safety harness.
A Palestinian flag flying in front of the Reichstag. Activists from “Peacefully Against Genocide” have claimed responsibility for the action. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Gereon Asmuth/taz | Gereon Asmuth
READ ALSO: Left Party grapples with Middle East conflict before vote to join Berlin government
After around an hour, the man descended voluntarily. Police and firefighters then removed the Palestinian flag. Damage to the flag-raising mechanism meant the German flag could not immediately be restored.
The 22-year-old remained in custody, while the other two men were released after identity checks and ordered to leave the area.
The State Criminal Police Office is investigating suspected offences including defamation of the state and its symbols, criminal damage, trespassing and violating Berlin’s assembly law.
On Monday morning, the group “Peacefully Against Genocide” claimed responsibility for the action, saying it was about “civil society solidarity with the people of Palestine” in an online statement.
Justice minister pushes for review of possible AfD ban
Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig is pressing the German government to examine whether there are sufficient legal grounds to seek a ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The Social Democrat said the government could act only by consensus and that she was working to secure agreement. She proposed a federal-state working group to compile and assess relevant evidence before political and legal decisions were taken.
Hubig said a ban application should be submitted if it had a realistic prospect of succeeding. She argued that hundreds of thousands of leaked AfD emails could potentially be considered if they provided evidence that the party was hostile to Germany’s constitutional order.
Describing the issue as an “existential question for democracy”, Hubig called for a serious and systematic review of whether the legal requirements had been met.
READ ALSO: Court backs finding that AfD in Lower Saxony is anti-constitutional
Her intervention comes before December’s election in Saxony-Anhalt, where Ulrich Siegmund could become Germany’s first AfD state premier.
Hubig warned that an AfD-led government would severely test the rule of law. She nevertheless stressed that authorities must confront every form of extremism, including right-wing, left-wing and Islamist movements.
German companies cut research investment to lowest level since 2008
German businesses are scaling back investment in research and development, raising concerns about the country’s long-term competitiveness and capacity for innovation.
A study by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), reported by Handelsblatt, found that corporate investment plans are at their weakest since 2008.
Only 25 percent of companies intend to increase their research and development activities this year, down sharply from 38 percent in 2023. Meanwhile, 32 percent plan to reduce their involvement – more than double the 15 percent recorded in the previous survey.
The DIHK warned that businesses were abandoning not only individual projects but also expertise, partnerships and structures required for future innovation. It described the findings as a warning for Germany as a business location.
The organisation said declining investment could permanently weaken productivity, technological independence and companies’ ability to enter new markets.
DIHK chief executive Helena Melnikov said many firms wanted to keep Germany’s “innovation engine” running but were being held back by growing bureaucracy, lengthy procedures and poor underlying conditions.
READ ALSO: Can Germany save its car industry as job cuts intensify?
With reporting by AFP and DPA.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
