Symbolic imageNo sign of foul play in Aiwanger's death, preliminary autopsy indicates
Bavaria's deputy premier Hubert Aiwanger, 55, was found dead in a Berlin hotel on Wednesday. Prosecutors say a preliminary autopsy points to natural causes.
Aiwanger, Bavaria's economy minister and Freie Wähler leader, was found lifeless on Wednesday, 4 November, in his room at the Hotel Neuer Fritz in Berlin-Mitte. Earlier that day, citing health problems, he had missed the opening of the party's Berlin office. Berlin prosecutors opened a death investigation, and a police homicide unit is involved to rule out third-party involvement. After the autopsy on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Berlin prosecutor's office said it indicated a natural death, but further forensic tests are pending. How Aiwanger was found remains undisclosed for investigative reasons.
Party congress to be postponed
Deputy party chair Joachim Streit said the Freie Wähler want to cancel their federal congress, planned for 14 November in Geiselwind, and hold it probably in 2027. Succession becomes a real topic only after the funeral, he said, and will be decided in Bavaria.
Cross-party shock
Baden-Württemberg's premier Cem Özdemir, whose Greens Aiwanger often attacked, called the death shocking. Bavarian premier Markus Söder called it an "absolute tragedy", Le Monde reports.
Other opinions
Le Monde calls the Freie Wähler populist and recalls the 2023 Nazi-leaflet controversy, while the German reports quoted here focus on tributes and the investigation.