Bavaria Deputy Leader Hubert Aiwanger Found Dead at 55

Developing — last updated 5 November 2026 at 15:35 PKT.

Hubert Aiwanger, the deputy premier of Bavaria and leader of the Free Voters party, has been found dead in a Berlin hotel room. He was 55. Berlin police and prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause and circumstances of his death, which remain unknown.

Aiwanger was discovered in the early evening of Wednesday, 4 November, in his room at the Hotel Neuer Fritz in Berlin's Mitte district, near Friedrichstrasse station, according to Berlin police. He had travelled to the capital for the opening of a Free Voters party office but missed the event after feeling unwell, and stayed in his room to rest. When he could no longer be reached, he was found dead.

What happened

According to Reuters, German police said they were investigating the sudden death of Aiwanger, whose body was found in a Berlin hotel room on Wednesday evening. In a statement, Berlin police and prosecutors said the aim of the inquiry was "to establish the specific cause of death and the circumstances surrounding it, and to rule out any possible third-party culpability". They gave no further details.

The Berlin public prosecutor's office confirmed the death on Wednesday evening. Prosecutors and the homicide unit of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office are handling the investigation, and forensic teams have been working at the hotel. Witnesses may be questioned, and an autopsy is expected to be ordered, according to the Berlin Spectator.

The Bild newspaper reported that Aiwanger had felt unwell before the scheduled party event and had experienced gastrointestinal problems, according to colleagues in his coalition partner, the Christian Social Union (CSU). A spokesperson for Berlin's public prosecutor's office told Bild: "There is no initial suspicion of any crime. Nothing can be ruled out at this point."

Reactions across the political spectrum

Bavarian premier Markus Söder, whose CSU governs Bavaria in coalition with Aiwanger's Free Voters, described the death as an "absolute tragedy".

"The sudden death of Hubert Aiwanger is a terrible tragedy. We are all deeply shocked. Our thoughts are now first and foremost with his family and his children."

— Markus Söder, Bavarian premier, in a statement on the state government website

The president of the Bavarian parliament, Ilse Aigner of the CSU, called his death a heavy loss for the state parliament and for politics in Bavaria as a whole. The Free Voters said overnight that the party would continue its work in Aiwanger's spirit.

Who was Hubert Aiwanger?

Aiwanger grew up on a farm near Rottenburg an der Laaber in Lower Bavaria and trained as an agricultural engineer before entering politics. He joined the Free Voters (Freie Wähler) ahead of local elections in 2002 and led the party in Bavaria from 2006, and nationwide from 2010.

Under his leadership, the Free Voters entered the Bavarian state parliament for the first time in 2008, with Aiwanger as parliamentary leader. A decade later, in 2018, the CSU and the Free Voters formed their first coalition government, and Aiwanger became Bavaria's economy minister and deputy minister-president — a post he held until his death.

Known for his broad Lower Bavarian dialect and his plain-spoken style, Aiwanger was one of the most recognisable figures in Bavarian politics. He presented himself as a countryman who understood the concerns of ordinary people, and he was rarely seriously challenged as party chairman. Even political opponents acknowledged his feel for the concerns of ordinary voters, while critics described him as a talented populist.

Aiwanger had two children and lived with his partner, Tanja Schweiger, the Free Voters district administrator of Regensburg.

What happens next

The Free Voters now need a new leader at both state and federal level. Aiwanger had been re-elected as Bavarian chairman a year ago and had planned to seek another term as federal chairman at a party convention on 14 November. Whether that date will hold is unclear.

In the Bavarian Economics Ministry, State Secretary Tobias Gotthardt of the Free Voters will take over the day-to-day business at least temporarily, under the cabinet's rules of procedure. The ministry said Gotthardt would cut short a delegation trip to Singapore and return to Bavaria. It remains to be seen whether and when the Free Voters will fill the ministerial post permanently.

Time	What happened
Wednesday afternoon, 4 Nov	Aiwanger cancels a speech at the opening of a Free Voters office in Berlin, citing ill health
Wednesday early evening, 4 Nov	He is found dead in his room at the Hotel Neuer Fritz, Berlin-Mitte
Wednesday evening, 4 Nov	Berlin public prosecutor's office confirms the death; police and prosecutors open an investigation
Thursday, 5 Nov	Forensic teams work at the hotel; an autopsy is expected; tributes arrive from across German politics
14 Nov (planned)	Free Voters party convention at which Aiwanger had planned to seek another term as federal chairman

Frequently asked questions

What do we know so far?

Hubert Aiwanger, 55, Bavaria's deputy premier and economy minister and leader of the Free Voters, was found dead in his Berlin hotel room on Wednesday evening. He had felt unwell earlier in the day and missed a party event. Police and prosecutors have opened an investigation.

What don't we know yet?

The cause of death, the exact circumstances of his discovery, and the outcome of the investigation. An autopsy is expected, but no timetable has been given. Police have said only that there is no initial suspicion of a crime and that nothing can be ruled out at this stage.

Who takes over his roles?

State Secretary Tobias Gotthardt will run the Bavarian Economics Ministry's day-to-day business for now. The Free Voters have not yet announced how they will choose a new state and federal chairman, or who will permanently fill the ministerial post.

Why does this matter beyond Bavaria?

Aiwanger was one of Germany's most prominent regional politicians and a central figure in Bavarian politics for nearly two decades. His sudden death leaves a leadership vacuum in the Free Voters and in Bavaria's governing coalition, and comes just days before the party was due to hold a convention to confirm its federal leadership.

Aiwanger's death is a developing story. The next steps to watch are the findings of the investigation and any autopsy result, the Free Voters' decision on whether their 14 November convention goes ahead, and the appointment of a permanent successor as Bavaria's economy minister and deputy premier. BreakingHour will update this article as confirmed information becomes available.