Stephan Weckmann takes Hubert Aiwanger's Bavarian Landtag seat after his death

Successor named for the Landtag seat

Stephan Weckmann, a restaurateur from Straubing, will take over Hubert Aiwanger's seat in the Bavarian Landtag, the state parliament, about a week after Aiwanger's death. A spokeswoman told the news agency dpa that Weckmann has declared to the state returning officer that he accepts the mandate, and the returning officer informed Landtag president Ilse Aigner (CSU). The seat passes through the Free Voters' list for the Lower Bavaria constituency, on which the party ran in the 2023 state election, so the successor is determined automatically but must still accept. Aiwanger's other posts remain open: deputy minister-president, Bavarian economy minister, and federal and state party chairman. The Free Voters had said these would be decided only after the funeral ceremony, and no date for it had been set.

Death in a Berlin hotel

Aiwanger, 55, was found lifeless in a hotel room in Berlin on Wednesday, 4 November. Earlier that day he had cancelled an appearance at the opening of the Free Voters' Berlin office because he was unwell. Forensic examination so far has found no third-party involvement, and investigators assume a natural death, although further forensic examinations are still pending. Aiwanger was Bavaria's economy minister and deputy minister-president, the long-serving leader of the Free Voters, the CSU's coalition partner in Bavaria, and the party's federal chairman. He grew up in Rottenburg an der Laaber and lived in the village of Rahstorf, where his farm is located.

Partner speaks for the family

On Monday evening, 9 November, Tanja Schweiger, Regensburg district administrator and a Free Voters member, posted on Instagram, her first public statement since his death. She wrote that the news had overwhelmed many people on Wednesday evening.

“The news overwhelmed many on Wednesday evening. For us as a family, in a very special way.”

Schweiger described Aiwanger as a man of the people and praised his ability to explain complex matters so that everyone understood them.

“He was a man of the people, warm-hearted and brilliant.”

She said the family had processed the first grief within its close circle. The couple first met before the 2008 Bavarian state election, when both entered the Landtag for the Free Voters, and they made their relationship public in April 2012. They had two sons together but never married.

Funeral date and party succession still open

Schweiger thanked people for photos, mourning letters, messages on social media, long queues and entries in condolence books, as well as for prayers and memorial services. She said a state funeral would be arranged in agreement with the family, followed by burial "at home", without naming a place. She added that the family would keep people informed once the dates were settled. Weckmann's acceptance of the seat has been reported, but no date for the funeral has been announced. The question of who succeeds Aiwanger in his government and party offices is still pending.